Hey guys a little later updating today cause I've been busy as it's Bank Holiday, anyway hope you enjoy this next little chapter :D

"So you didn't see or hear anything at all from Viktor, even though he had seen Phichit in Switzerland and knew full well that Phichit would tell you he'd seen him, until the start of the season?" I ask, thrumming with excitement at what I know I'm about to be told.

"Basically yes," Yuuri replies with a sigh, "and I'm pretty sure that I both saw and heard from him in the worst way possible."

"How?"

"Oh my god!" Mila exclaimed looking at her phone. We were in the middle of practice and Yakov had given us all a short break before we got right back into it. Yuri and Georgi were flying out to Beijing for the Cup of China in a few days while Mila and I were about to head off to Moscow for Rostelacom so we were all at the rink training every day.

"What?" Georgi asked, looking over her shoulder. She showed him her phone screen. "Oh my god!"

"I know right," she said.

"What?" Yuri asked.

"Oh my god," Mila said again.

"I know right!" Georgi said, the repeated sentence conversation between them beginning to loop again.

"Stop saying 'oh my god' and tell me Hag!" Yuri snapped.

Mila turned her phone so that both Yuri and I could see the screen. On it was a slight blurred photo (possibly where the photographer's hands had been shaking when they too it) of Viktor in the middle of his program. It was clearly taken at a competition, obvious by the spectators, judges and the sponsorship banners. I could feel Yuri shaking with rage beside me.

"That absolute fucker!" he screamed, crushing the empty juice carton he had been holding in his fist. "I can't believe he's got the fucking balls to fucking compete this season after everything he's fucking done!"

"Yura!" Yakov admonished. "Language!"

"Who sent you this?" Yuri demanded, ignoring Yakov and turning back to Mila.

"Sara sent it to me from Skate America," she said. "So apparently Viktor's planning on competing in the GPF this year."

Yuri clicked his tongue angrily. "If he makes it."

"He'll make it," Georgi said with a roll of his eyes. "It's Viktor."

"He's still skating under Russian colours," Mila said.

"Can he do that even though he's basically off the team?" Yuri asked. "There must be some kind of formality."

"Clearly he can," Mila said," because he is. Unless he's an ANA."

"ANA?" Yuri asked.

"Authorised Neutral Athlete," Georgi replied.

"He never officially quit so he is still a part of this team," Yakov said. "As much as you don't like it," he added, pointedly looking at Yuri, "Viktor is well within his rights to skate as part of Team Russia even if he doesn't arrive or interact with us."

"That fucker!" Yuri snarled again ignoring the disapproving look Yakov sent his way.

"Who's coaching him?" I asked. It was the first question I felt like I was able to ask. There were so many swirling around inside my head but that was the first one that I had actually been able to voice.

"Giacometti's guy by the looks of things," Mila said. "Unless he's doing this on his own without a coach."

"Well he's arrogant enough for that," Yuri muttered darkly.

"Viktor has proven himself a competent enough coach," Yakov said, glancing at me, " and he is a five time world champion so regardless of whether someone else is coaching him or he is acting as his own coach he will still skate very well."

"He still lost to me last year," Yuri grumbled darkly.

"Then you should have no trouble beating him again this year as well," I said placing my hand on his shoulder and smiling at him.

He seemed to soften at that and Yakov looked grateful. "I just can't believe he thinks he can do that to you and then carry on as if nothing has happened," he grumbled.

"I'm carrying on," I told him.

"Yeah but he's the one that hurt you," Yuri said.

"It's fine," I said even though I felt so far from being fine. Inside I felt like I was sinking into that hole I had desperately been trying to claw my way out of for the last few months. "Like everything else we'll just deal with it."

"But..." Yuri began.

"It's very sweet you being angry on my behalf but Viktor is competing now, he's going to make it to the Final so there's no point getting angry about it now," I said. "It won't help either of us so we should get back to practice."

"Thank you Yuuri," Yakov said, clearly thankful that the distraction was soon to be over and he could continue his session.

"If you're sure..." Yuri said.

"I'm fine," I told him, "I promise."

"So how are you really?" Yuri asked me almost as soon as Georgi had left the changing room at the end of the day.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Yuri clicked his tongue. "Don't give me that," he said crossing his arms over his chest. "I watched you all afternoon and you were distracted. You messed up your step sequence and it was obvious that your attention was divided. Yakov didn't say anything because of Mila's bombshell but he noticed too."

I sighed and shook my head. How was this sixteen year old ball of rage so damn perceptive all the time? "I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"No," he replied. He came and sat down on the bench next to me, closer than he would have been even six months ago. "So how are you really?"

"I don't know," I replied truthfully. "I thought I was doing okay, that I could come to the competition and everything would be fine but now... knowing that Viktor is competing and knowing that at some point I'm going to have to face him..." I stopped to gather myself and shook my head sadly. "I'm not sure if I can face him and I'm wondering if I should save myself the heartache and the embarrassment and just pull out."

"You can't!" Yuri cried and he looked so hurt even at the thought. "For one thing you've worked too hard to get to where you are, for another so has Yakov – you can't let him down."

"No," I agreed, "that is the last thing I'd want to do after everything he's done for me."

"Then you can't pull out," Yuri said. "You can't let Viktor win." And I knew he didn't mean the competition. I remember Yuko telling me (when she and Takashi broke up for a few weeks when I was fourteen) that there are winners and losers in a break-up and you had to show the other people that you were the winner, even if you didn't feel like it.

"I suppose not," I said.

"Plus it's in Japan," Yuri continued. "You'll be skating on your home turf, imagine how cool that would be if you won?"

"You think I can beat you?" I asked teasingly.

Yuri flushed and hid behind his hair. "I mean when you get silver again."

"Sure thing," I smiled.

"But, seriously though, you have to compete," Yuri told me.

"Okay," I said, "I won't pull out."

"Good."

"Seeing Viktor though," I said and let out a shaky exhale, "that's going to be difficult."

"Then show him you're over him by kicking his ass," Yuri said. "It's the best way to get back at him after everything he's done."

"You really think I can?" I asked and this time I wasn't teasing him. Viktor, as a competitive skater was still like this ethereal god to me – unreachable and unobtainable. I broke his record but there was no chance that I could do it again.

"I know you can," Yuri said bumping his elbow against my side. "It's about time Nikiforov knew what bronze felt like."

"So I practised and practised, training harder than I ever had in my life and, while maybe I didn't jell quite as well as I had with Yakov right away as I did with Viktor, everyone from Team Russia was an amazing encouragement," Yuuri says.

"And you had a good season that year," I say, thinking back to that competition. I had just been starting out then – barely even an intern – but I remember being there and watching both his Short Program and Free Skate and they were both amazing.

"I did," he agrees. "I took silver again at Rostelacom, coming in second to JJ, and won my first ever gold at the Trophée de France. I made it to the final quite easily but I knew that that was going to be the hard part that year."

"Did you and Viktor cross paths before the Final?" I ask.

"No," he replies. "It's possible to go through and entire season and not see someone until the final and I was glad that I didn't see him. I don't know if I would have held it together as well as I did as I didn't always have Yuri and the others around to keep me from falling apart."

"What happened when you did finally come face to face with him again?" I ask.

"Ah we're getting a little ahead of ourselves there," he says with a grin.

"There's more?" I ask, amazed.

"Of course there is."

I'm glad. This story wouldn't be half as exciting if there wasn't. "Fire away then."