As I'm sure you can guess I don't own Hikaru No Go, nor do I own any other copyrights I may inadvertently infringe on. Got that? Good.

This is my first HNG fic and I'm sure this scenario has been done before, I hope I can do it in such a way as to keep it at least semi fresh.

The hotel was located in a nice area in the center of the city, the hotel itself was nice and fitted in with its surroundings, well, nicely. It attracted nice cliental, mainly quiet people who kept to themselves. Although it was a nice enough place to do so it didn't manage to attract anyone who, the management believed, wouldn't fit in. Roundy rock bands on tour weren't given the opportunity to trash the suites on the top floor, petulant actors filming on location weren't given the opportunity to be overly demanding to the hotel staff, which suited them nicely. However, this didn't change the fact that occasionally people of minor note (to some people at least) would find themselves staying there. Currently staying were two high-flyers of the go world preparing to start the fight over the prestigious Mejin title the very next day. The hotel management didn't really mind people like that, the only extra hassle the hotel had to deal with was one journalist from Weekly-Go and his photographer, not exactly a logistical nightmare. Moreover the hotels clientele were, by and large, the sort who considered the chance to spot a professional Go player, and one in the upper echelons of the game at that, a nice bonus, to a nice stay, in a nice hotel.

"Seriously, this hotel is just too, too…"

"Nice?" Akira tried to guess what Hikaru would have said had he been able to put his finger on it.

"Yes, it's just too, fuckin' nice." The words were not said in a complimentary way.

"Well, I like it."

"You would." He hadn't meant it as an insult but that didn't change the fact that it sounded like one.

"And what it that supposed to mean?"

Hikaru rolled his eyes, he'd been friends with Akira for years, pretty much since they had started running in the same circles. At the time it had seemed like an easy choice, they could be friendly rivals, or they could be bitter rivals and neither wanted the other as an enemy, life provides too many of those of its own accord. This didn't change the fact that Hikaru still liked taking the piss out of Akira's natural predisposition the conservative dress (Hikaru only dressed like that when he absolutely had to).

For his part Akira didn't see what the problem was, but then he just didn't understand why Hikaru saw his yearning for the quiet life as a dull, bad thing, something for which he should be made to feel ashamed. Hikaru's voice pulled him from these thoughts.

"You know damn well what that means, tomorrow we have to start one of the most important games of our lives, against each other no less and you're not even making the slightest bit of an effort to loosen up and relax, at least take that neck tie off, please."

"Loosen up, relax" A note of incredulity was becoming more evident in Akira's voice. "This is about as relaxed as I get, I should be in my own room studying the records of our previous games."

"Yea, and even when you were all alone in your own room I bet you'd still be wearing that damn tie. Face it you're here trying to pass yourself off as relaxed for the same reason I suggested we just watch some TV anyway. We're as ready as we'll ever be, I know your game inside out and vice versa."

Akira got the impression that Hikaru must have been the type of person who only started studying for exams the night before, or, just as often, not at all. Akira had gotten used to Hikarus constant jibes about his dress sense long ago. Hikaru was currently lounging in a deep arm chair in a pair of old shorts and a t-shirt, a man completely at peace, Akira never felt right unless he looked just so. He didn't however feel there was any need for Hikaru belittle him for this.

Hikaru, as if reading Akira's mind turned to him wearily "Look, theirs no need to take it all seriously, I think I've known you long enough to know that you are incapable of looking normal." He sat back and flicked through a few channels on the TV set. "Well if it makes you feel any better theirs nothing good on TV."

"Why should that make me feel any better?" Akira asked

"Because that means you get to come out with me and have a drink."

"Lucky me." The sarcasm was dripping from his voice.

Hikaru however was determined that the evening would not descend in to either of the two scenarios he had feared. One was that they'd sit around listlessly and Akira would head to his room early and they would each try and get an early night, Hikaru restless because he hadn't successfully taken his mind of the coming game, Akira restless because he would feel like he wasted his time in not preparing for the match. Under these circumstances neither would get much sleep and both would be the worse for it. The other was that cheerful goading would spill into one of the arguments, now quite notorious in the go world, which although they had decreased in frequency the older they got still managed to produce the same indignant anger they had both felt towards each other back in the days of after school games in the Go salon when every day seemed to end with Hikaru storming out, only to return the next day when neither could really remember what they were arguing about. If this happened they would both stay up until the small hours feverously studying the others past games in an attempt to gain an edge. Neither would get much sleep and they would both be the worse for it.

The fact was there was a huge anticipation for this game. In the many years that they had been playing go neither Hikaru or Akira had made it to the final of the Mejin tournament, both had seen other titles come, and go, but never the Mejin. That's not to say that this was for lack of trying, every year the tournament had progressed to its latter stages at least one of them had been there, only every time either had made it to the semi (which was every time so far, but never against each other, oddly enough) something had happened to thwart their chances. These had ranged form the tragic (one year Akira's farther had had a second hart attack, this one fatal, another year Hikaru's wife had suffered a miscarriage and obviously neither really had there harts in there subsequent games after that.) To the mildly comical, like the year Hikaru had eaten something that disagreed with him the night before and had spent most of the night feeling like hell. The next day he felt groggy and his lack of sleep showed, he lost that game and didn't manage to recover.

This year, they hoped, would be different, the current holder of the title had retired in a way similar to Akira's farther all those years ago. The tournament, it was decided would be restructured slightly, with no title holder for the duration and the winner of the final being awarded the title.

Hikaru was actually starting wondering weather somebody, or something, was trying to tell him something. The coincidences involved in this turn of events seemed astronomically unlikely. Weekly Go had run an article when they had both made it to the final detailing the history of what they called 'The curse of the Mejin title.' They didn't explain why anyone else had been affected by this so called curse, but it had filled a few column inches and, when all the weird happenings were stacked side by side it did make interesting reading.

All of this was weighing heavy on the mind of Akira, one day from starting to fulfill his promise to his farther and lifting the title that he had held for so long and his friend wanted to irresponsibly go out for a drink. What he didn't realize was that Hikaru had problems of his own.

Hikaru had once told Akira that one day he would tell his friend the whole story, Sai and Hikarus mystery go skills and his even more mystifying loss of them. Not to mention his incredibly fast apparent re-learning of the game. However to his eternal credit apart from that one initial outburst at the institute Akira had never brought the subject up. Although Hikaru was beginning to think that if he was ever to get the burden of his chest now was probably a good time. He was sure something was pulling the strings and now, somehow felt appropriate.

"Well, are you coming or not?"

It was a question but Hikaru know fine well Akira would come along. Hikaru had long ago realized that Akira, despite where it had gotten him had a little part of himself that resented his gift at go. When everybody else his age was enjoying there youth he was always studying go. By the time his would be contemporizes had become students and were having the times of there lives he was already in a full time job. Going to the pub for a drink with some mates was one of the simple pleasures of life he had missed out on, and despite the importance of tomorrow Hikaru knew that his friend wouldn't miss the chance to try and make up for that somehow. Especially if he just say he was going anyway then up and left.

"You can do what you want, I'm going." He pulled on an old pair of jeans, gave his t-shirt a sniff and decided it was ok, grabbed his trainers and headed for the lift, as he expected Akira followed him, even if it was with a certain sense of resignation.

Well that's chapter 1, hope all who read it enjoyed it. If you have the time please review, comments are always very, very welcome.

Big Bad John