Flame Of Siberia: Yuri!!! On Ice Sequel

Chapter 2 - Part 1

Natasha's POV

"Did you remember to pack your warm coat and winter boots?" Yuuri says as I help him load my luggage into the car.

"I did, Katsuki-senpai!" I respond, putting my backpack containing my iPad and a change of slightly warmer clothes for when I arrive in Moscow onto the back seat.

I look at Yuuri with a sigh as he closes the back door.

"Well? Have we got everything now?" he breathes.

I give a teary-eyed nod. "I think so."

Yuuri laughs. "Come here," he says as he pulls me to his chest in a hug and spins me around one last time, Viktor finally emerging from inside wearing a full tux.

I look at him. "Are you ready?" I say.

Viktor smiles. "As long as you are."

I bow to Yuuri,  thanking him for his constant hospitality as he bids his goodbyes and I enter the car, sitting in the passenger seat next to Viktor. After I shut the door with a clunk, he starts the engine of the Porsche and we begin cruising down the motorway.

The journey is pretty much silent save for me quietly humming to the J-pop on the radio and Viktor's fingers tapping on the dashboard. Everything that needed to be said had already been covered last night - both of us know that.

I can't help falling asleep having woken up so early - it is an hour's drive to the train station, I will have just enough time to catch a few winks.

Before I know it, Viktor nudges me awake - We have arrived. He helps me with my luggage and we enter the bright building together.

"Your train to Moscow leaves at 10:20," Viktor says, handing me my travel tickets. "From there you will be met by Alexei who will show you to his apartment in the city centre. You don't need to worry, everything is sorted."

I take the envelope from Viktor's hand and nod my head. He smiles knowingly as I feel something squishy inside.

"Open it," he commands.

I put my hand inside the envelope - and pull out a velvet scrunchie, coloured in fiery shades of red, orange and yellow. It's beautiful.

"Yuuri and I bought it from a boutique shop when you did your last competition," Viktor says solemnly, instructing me to turn around as he uses it to tie my hair up into a high ponytail. I turn back around to face him.

"Now you have a constant reminder that you are always our Flame of Siberia," he adds. I throw my arms around his neck, and he closes the embrace as if he is a swan guarding its chick.

"Viktor... Thank you for everything," I breathe, refusing to cry and turn this departure into a sad one.

Viktor lightly kisses my cheek. "Thank you, Natasha. For being a wonderful student. You've got this down to the ground."

I wriggle free from Viktor's arms and take my luggage, headed to the platform.

"Dasvidaniya!" I call behind me, as Viktor shoots me a wave with his gloved hand and fades from eyeshot.

The wait is not as long as expected, as it only takes ten minutes to get settled in the lounge, where I park myself on a red armchair.

My stomach growls as I drowsily flick through Snapchat and Twitter. With a sigh, I heave myself up off my seat and go to the nearby Starbucks for a second breakfast of strong coffee and a cinnamon roll. Feeling a little more awake, I sit in a corner booth and take out my phone again as an Instagram notification pops up on my screen.

"@yuri_plisetsky has started following you."

Starstruck to the point that I almost spit out my coffee, I open the application to look at his most recent posts. One pops up straight away on my home screen - a wholesome picture of his cat snoozing next to him on the sofa. The caption reads "Finally done for another week #petgoals #figureskater #TeamRussia" - I can't help but smile as I give the image a like.

Half an hour passes, and the announcement plays saying that my train is ready for boarding. I get in line for my ticket to be scanned, and I strap myself into my seat right at the back of first class. The engine takes off smoothly and quickly, with a journey time of 4 hours.

My boredom soon strikes - I take out my iPad and play some offline games while eating some of the fruit salad that I bought at the station, trying to turn my mind away from the nerves I have been feeling lately. After beating what seems like a thousand levels of Candy Crush,
I heave a sigh as I lean against the window, staring into space. In the stillness of the moment, I can't help closing my eyes for a while.