A Crack in the Ice

Chapter 16

Around noon the next day, I was leaning up against the edge of the rink. It was almost time for Sarah to take to the ice for her short program. She had drawn first, which she was a bit nervous about, but I kept assuring her that everything was going to be okay and that she didn't need to worry. I just hope that my words stuck with her as I watched her take to the ice.
Viktor sighed as he stood next to me. "You know, Yurio, I'm actually quite impressed by how great Sarah's been doing this year."
"You aren't the only one to say that," I mumbled.
He shook his head. "I honestly don't know how she was able to recover that quickly..."
"...shut up," I said with a growl. "She's about to start."
"Suit yourself," he sighed as he fell silent.

I watched her as the song began. I'd never been sure why or what it was, but there was something about the way that she skated to this song.
However, as soon as she took off for her first jump, a Triple Axle, that's when I realized. That's when I figured out what it was.
The reason that she was so good at skating to On Love: Agape wasn't just because of practice. There was a lot more to it.
Sarah embraced agape more than I could ever imagine. And she had every reason to do so. Though I could tell she was a bit stressed because she was going first, which was evident by how tight her jumps and all were, she embraced the love. She let it fill her.
It was all too evident when she went in for her step sequence. It was very elegant. She embraced everything so...perfectly.
I then looked over at Viktor. "She's skating much better than I could ever imagine."
Viktor nodded in agreement. "You can say that again. No doubt that she's going to score well on this."
Lilith nodded in agreement and stood by my left side. "Yeah. Heck, this is much better than she was at Skate America."
I nodded as I turned my attention back to her. She had just gone into her final spin, her Layback spin, and then she finished, and the crowd went absolutely wild. It was an amazing performance, and I quickly ran over to the Kiss and Cry to meet her to find out her score.
"That was brilliant!" I cried out as I threw myself at her for a hug.
She hugged back, and I saw...tears in her eyes?
"Is...is everything okay?" I asked, becoming a bit concerned.
She nodded. "Y-yeah...it's just...that was an amazing performance...I don't know how I did so good..."
I smiled and sat with her in the Kiss and Cry. "Hey, no need to worry. Whatever happens, I'll be proud of you, no matter what, my malen'kaya printsessa."
She slightly blushed. "Yurio...why do you always call me that...?"
"Because you are my little princess," I said with a smile.
Just then, a voice came on over the intercom. "And the score for Sarah Calian's Short Program, 67.49."
Sarah then gave me a hug. "Y-yes! I did it!" she said with a big smile on her face.
I smiled and hugged her back. "See? What did I tell you? I knew you were going to do great."
She nodded, wiping away her tears. "Anyways, let's head back to Lilith and everyone else."
I nodded, taking her hand as we stood up as the next skater took to the ice. "Sounds like a great idea."
With that, we went back to them.

===

"Great job out there, cuz," Lilith said to Sarah as we walked over to her.
"Thanks," she said with a smile.
Sarah then surprised me, and I think she surprised Lilith as well, as she suddenly gave her a hug.
"Oh, um, alright then," Lilith mumbled, obviously confused.
Sarah sighed. "Lilith, I...thank you. I don't know if I would've been able to put on the same performance if you weren't here."
"...why is that?" asked Lilith.
Sarah sighed. "You...I didn't want to let you down. You came here on your own, even though you have your own things to be doing."
Lilith smiled, and gently swept some loose hair from Sarah's face. "Of course I'd be here to see your performance. If I didn't, what kind of cousin would I be?"
Sarah gasped, obviously surprised by her comment. "B-but...this isn't like you at all," she mumbled.
Lilith sighed, taking on a more serious tone. "Sarah, look. I'm taking time out of my schedule to be here. Now, don't expect me to be at your competition at the Rostelecom Cup. I'll be training at that point for the Grand Prix Final. Where I will defeat you this year."
Sarah smirked, taking a step away from her cousin. "All right. We'll see about that. I think I'll be the one winning the Grand Prix Final this year."
Viktor sighed, and butted into their conversation, which I thought was actually a good thing. "Oh, that reminds me, Lilith. I need to ask you something. How did you do at Skate Canada International?"
Lilith sighed, turning her attention to him. "Of course, I took the gold, as expected though my score was the second best for the Short Program, which I scored a 65.83 on. I actually did really good with my Free Skate, scoring a 126.66," she told us with a matter-of-fact tone.
I smiled. "Well, that's good to hear," I said with a smile.
Sarah nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It's amazing how much you can improve in such a short amount of time. I wouldn't be surprised if the winner of the Grand Prix Final will be determined by less than a point."
I nodded in agreement. "It's very possible. Reminds me of my Senior Division debut, when I beat Yuri by a mere .12 points."
"Hey! No need to rub it in," Yuri said in retaliation.
"What? It's true," I said with a smirk.
Sarah sighed. "Please, both of you. Break it up."
"...fine," I muttered. "Let's watch the remaining performances, and then head back to the hotel."
"Sounds like a good idea," Viktor said.
Sarah nodded in agreement. "I second that."
"Same here," Leo said.
I then looked at Yuri and Lilith. "Is that okay with you two as well?"
They both nodded in agreement.
I sighed. "Alright then."
With that, we watched the other skaters, and it was no surprise to see that Sarah had landed on top after the Short Program.
Just as we said we were, we went back to the hotel after everything was said and done.