A/N: Okay, this is my first HnG fic, which I'd like to dedicate to my friend Kal Kally – since she's the one who introduced me to HnG and today is her birthday. ^_^ Happy birthday, Kally-chan! This fic is my gift for you. (Too bad we can't meet…)
Disclaimer: I don't own HnG… I don't even own the name 'Mei Ling', since it's my friend's sister's name… *wails* No, don't sue me for that!
Pairing: Akira/Hikaru. This is not a Hikaru/Akari, no matter how much it sounds like one (dunno how it turned out that way). I dislike the Hikaru/Akari pairing. *twitch*
~*~ I'll Be The One ~*~
"So… how long have you two known each other?" I rub my head, asking the two boys in front of me. Really, I'm sure that the headache is coming up again.
"Umm… that…" The blonde boy blinks and pauses a while. Perhaps he is trying to remember.
"Eight years." The black-haired boy answers for his friend, voice cold and calm as usual. I blink. Well, I've never thought… Suddenly remembering that I still have business to finish with these two, I stop myself from asking the random questions I've been thinking of. Get back to the main point. Shindou and Touya sure are very nervous, though with Touya, you can never tell. I have a feeling that Shindou is ready to run out of the room any moment. But no, I won't let him. We still have to talk first.
"And… how long have Akari and you known each other?" I ask with a soft and low voice, but still enough to bring a look of pain across Shindou's face. I know, both of them have been dreaded of this question, but I still have to bring it up nonetheless, in order to help them sort this out.
"Nineteen years." Shindou answers softly, looking away guiltily. "I've known her since forever. She's my closest childhood friend." I notice that Touya's hold on his rival's shoulders tightens, drawing Shindou closer to him. I sigh. If it is simply concern or jealousy, I'm not sure.
Ding dong.
I look at the clock on the wall. It's exact eleven. Looks like we'll have to spend all night talking about this… The sooner this is sorted out the better. I look at the two boys sitting uncomfortably in front me again, and try to remember the reason why the hell I am here, playing the consultative role for two of the top Go players of Japan…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 1: The Theories.
One year ago…
Today is a bright and sunny day. It is too bright to the point I wonder why I haven't gone blind from the moment I stepped out of the house. I frown in annoyance and come to a conclusion that I surely like Beijing in the winter better. It is darker then, and doesn't have this kind of blinding sunlight which I hate to no end. Well, I've always been a person of darkness, I guess.
I walk slowly up the stairs that lead to the main hall of the university, watching the other students run up and down with bunch of books in their hold. It has become a normal, daily sight to me, which I really enjoy for some unknown reasons… After all, I have been here for two years… It gives me the feeling of warm and safety, but also a bit boring… for nothing big has really happened since I came… Life needs to get more exciting for me. And somehow gods could hear my wish…
Crash.
Before I know it, something, or someone crashed into me with his/her books all over me.
"Oh my god! I'm really sorry!" A girl's high voice cuts me out of my dazed state. And I suddenly find myself sitting on the marble floor of the hall, with all my papers and books scattered around. Never mind the fact that there is a hyper girl hovering over me, saying apologies for over five minutes non-stop.
"—really sorry! I didn't see where I was going!-"
"Okay okay. That's all right. You don't need to apologize too much." I wave my hand and gingerly stand up, still feeling a bit dizzy from the impact. Our encounter has drawn a lot attention from the other students. I quickly gather my stuff and help the girl gather her stuff, then turn to her with a smile.
"Don't worry. I wasn't looking either." Umm, is it just my imagination or is she really blushing? I shrug, then nod my head towards her to say goodbye, preparing to go to my class. Bumping into someone this early in the morning is not a good way to start the day… I grimace. That hurt.
The girl… I ponder… She surely is not Chinese, her accent tells me so… I wonder where she's from. Japan maybe?
~*~*~*~
"Excuse me, do you know where the Ancient China class is?" I hear a familiar high voice somewhere… I turn and find a certain familiar girl there asking another girl something, holding some papers in her hands. She suddenly notices me.
"Ah, there you are! I've been looking for you!" She smiles brightly and walks towards me. I blink. Why has she been looking for me? I didn't cause her any damage earlier, did I?
"Here are your papers. They got mixed up with mine earlier." She hands me the stack of papers. I suppress the urge to sigh in relief. My assignment. I thought I lost it or something…
"Oh. Thank you very much. You can sit if you want." I smile gently and gesture her to sit down. We are in the library, so I can talk with her for a while. She hesitantly sits down and… is she blushing again? I frown. Why the…
"My name is Fujisaki Akari. I've just come here from Japan. Nice to meet you." She smiles, bowing slightly. So I was right, eh?
"Nice to meet you, too. You can call me Mei Ling-"
"Mei Ling? Umm, are you… a girl??" She cuts me off, her eyes widens. I blink. What kind of question is that?
"Yes, of course I am." I answer hesitantly, feeling confused.
"Oh, sorry, I thought…" She blushes again, this time I am sure. Following her gaze, I realize what she means. I do look like a rather effeminate guy right now, with my blue jeans and a simple dark shirt, added with the fact that I am…rather flat-chested. And not that I've never heard comments about me looking like a boy before…
"That's all right." I smile, quickly dismiss the mistake. After that, she seems to be more comfortable. We talk for a while, and I find out that she is also a Go lover.
"Sorry, I couldn't help but read your essay about Ancient Chinese culture… There is that part about the art of Go in that era. Do you also play Go? Your knowledge is pretty deep." She looks at me, eagerly waiting for my answer with her typical bright smile.
"Umm, I can play Go, but I'm not very good at it. My brother is a Go-crazed lover, that's why I also know a lot about it." I snicker silently. Speaking of my brother…you have to see his room to know how much he loves the game…
"Wow, that's great! Maybe you and I can play sometimes, ne?" Her face lights up. Uh oh, another Go-crazed lover for me… Hmm, I like the game anyway.
After that time, we meet more often, and after a while we become close friends. She is one year younger than me, though she looks much younger than that. We have many hobbies in common: playing Go, chatting endlessly about friends and family, talking about the Go world… Umm, actually pretty much all we talk about is Go, since my family and her friends also revolve around the goban anyway. She comes to China in a special learning program about Chinese literature, and also to find out more about the Chinese Go culture. Almost the same reasons as mine. Yes, I'm also a foreign student like her, though I look like Chinese…
"…You know, and then Hikaru would stay in his room, determined not to talk to me. I don't know what got into him at that time, being sulky like that…so unlike him…" Ah yes, she is telling me about her childhood friend Shindou Hikaru again.
I was really surprised the first time she told me that the top young Go player was her close friend. I've known of Shindou Hikaru through the Go magazines my brother ordered. He is usually portrayed as a very animated young guy with incredibly amazing Go skill – a Go genius of Japan, along with Touya Akira. There's a strange thing about Shindou Hikaru that makes me remember him though… Unlike most players at the present, he uses very old techniques. It's always struck me as weird that a seemingly modern boy like him uses those old techniques as his basic way of play.
Shindou Hikaru sounds even more interesting the way Akari tells me… I wonder what miracle could turn him into a great player in such a short time. Only two years. He is really a genius, I guess. No one can achieve that, except for him. I didn't really believe it the first time Akari told me, but then I had to believe her. Akari never tells lies.
Akari used to show me his photograph. Well, he looks quite cute (he was only about thirteen in that photo), so I guess he's also quite handsome now. But the only comment I could make at that time was: "What's with his hair?" I don't know, the way he dyed his hair just struck me as weird…
Once I asked Akari if she was his girlfriend, and for some reasons she laughed her head off. "How can I be his girlfriend if we only meet once a week? If anyone could be his girlfriend, it must be his goban… or that Touya-san…" She snickered at the joke.
Oh yes, Akari also told me about the strange rivalry between Shindou and Touya Akira – the son of the Meijin Touya. I never knew that the two young top players of Japan were rivals… though according to what Akari said, I feel that there is something more than that. Maybe they are also close friends… Normal rivals don't play each other everyday and go out together. Hey wait, "go out" here doesn't mean like that, mind you! And the fact that they have been chasing after each other for almost eight years… especially Touya… well, Touya Akira just doesn't strike me as the type…
From what Akari told me, Touya Akira seems to be a cold guy, the opposite with Hikaru. He has been trained since childhood by his father – the Meijin, so no wonder he is such a great player. Very formal, very calm, very cold, very determined… There's a lot to tell about a person like Touya, I think. Well, he sounds like an unsociable guy to me. So it gave me the shock to know that Touya actually used to chase Shindou at first… especially when Akari told me that Shindou was such a crappy player at the beginning. Oh yes, another strange fact about Shindou: he used to see Go as the most boring game in the world, but one day, he was just up and then plunged into Go like it was his life since forever.
Akari told me many things about her friend's Go career. How he suddenly went to every Go club he heard of, how he played at the school club with "Mitani-kun" and "Tsutsui-kun", how he became an Insei, then suddenly quit playing for a while with no reason at all, and finally became a pro together with Touya Akira…
Shindou Hikaru – the animated guy who is also very mysterious. Touya Akira – the cold guy who picks a lower dan player to be his eternal rival. Well, there's a lot to wonder about life, isn't it… The life of a Go pro… I've never really thought about it… Behind their fame, there's always a story…
It's getting dark. Akari waves me cheerfully and leaves. Well, I also need to get back to my place…
I arrive just in time to catch the phone call. I hurriedly dash in and grab the phone before it goes off.
"Hello, Mei Ling speaking?" Panting slightly, I speak softly.
"Mei Ling, Hikaru has just called me! He's coming to China for a tournament!!" Akari's high-pitched squeal nearly sends me double over. I can practically 'feel' her bouncing with joy and excitement right now, though technically I can't see her.
"That's great, Akari-" Before I can say anything else to congratulate the news, she practically babbles on and on with hundreds of plans to greet her friend, and then hurriedly says goodbye to me, explaining that she still has to call some other friends to tell them this news. I blink at the phone in my hand. Wow, Akari has the speed of light…
Ring ring.
I look at the phone I've just put down. Who…?
"Hello, Mei Ling speaking?" I answer the phone in wonder again.
"Really, sis, the name just sounds weird on you." An overly familiar amused voice startles me. I blink, realizing it is indeed my brother.
"You… Oh hey, what is it, kiddo?" I ask excitedly. It has been such a long time since the last time he called me… and such a long time since I last heard someone speak my mother language…
"Heh, just call to tell you that I'm coming to China in two weeks for my Amateur Go Tournament. Expect your little devil soon, sis!" A chuckle can be heard from the other side of the line.
I blink rapidly, trying to process the information. Say WHAT??
~*~*~*~*~*~End Chapter 1~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: So, like it? Hate it? Tell me, ne? Oh, Kally-chan, you were right. Maybe this is going to be more than just two or so chapters. ^^;;