Treading the Pro Exam: Chapter 1 – Running Late

By Leitbur

Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go, or any of the characters in it. Yumi Hotta is the brain behind this story, I'm just borrowing them.

Rated T I suppose. For me, it's PG13. There will be some suggestive language, but nothing you can't find on TV.

Just so those of you reading this know, this is a side story/omake from my story, The Never-Ending Road, which takes place after the series ends, so some events mentioned may seem strange to you if you have not been following my other story. This chapter takes place after Chapter 20 in my story, and occurs on August 20, 2003. Enjoy.

Damnit I'm late! I am sooooo late. Running down the sidewalk, dodging passerby's as she did so, Nase glanced down once more at her watch. Why had she overslept, especially today of all days? Her game against Hikaru the night before had certainly worn her out; she'd been forced to take a hot bath when she got home to remove all the sweat and grime. But she wasn't blaming Hikaru for this since she was the one who had pushed for that game so much.

Grimacing as she dodged around an old couple who were slowly making their way up the street, Nase once again mentally slapped herself. It had not been her proudest moment by any stretch of the imagination, she'd manipulated and basically forced him into wagering his fan, something that for some unknown reason was precious to him beyond compare, all for the sake of her selfish desire to simulate a game at his full intensity. What a game it had been though, intense, heated, energetic, and so much fun. Goosebumps formed on her neck at the mere thought of it.

Checking her watch again, Nase picked up speed as she spotted the Go Study Center where they were holding the exam. If they started on time, and she was sure that they would, then her time would have just started. Swinging around the walkway and through the door, Nase kicked off her shoes and bent over, throwing them up on the shelf before sliding into a pair of slippers instinctually and taking off down the hallway. As she approached the doors to the room, kicking out of her slippers now a tall middle-aged man stepped out of the room and looked at her with a rather surprised expression.

"Nase, did something happen? You're late."

Bowing apologetically, Nase, still out of breath, blurted out, "I'm sorry Shinoda-sensei. It won't happen again."

Smiling with a nod, Shinoda motioned towards the room behind him and said, "Well head on in. They've already started."

Nodding, Nase bowed once more and walked into the room and glanced about. It was as she remembered it. The sound of stones hitting the board surrounded her, echoing throughout the room. The tension and atmosphere were thick, and already the smell of sweat was beginning to fill the room. The Pro Exam, the round robin tournament held once a year for the best insei and amateur outsiders under the age of thirty. It was a hard, painful meat-grinding gauntlet that tested the true nerve and skill of each and every player mercilessly. Nerves, in many ways, were more important than skill here, as the pressure to succeed and win tested the mentality of the player more than the opponents they faced did. A player could easily self-destruct, become his or her own worst enemy and lose. She had seen it happen many times, and felt the strain herself as well, as this was her fourth time in the main exam.

Scanning the room, she spotted the one board that did not have two people before it and made her way over. She did not recognize the opponent, so he must have been an outsider. No matter, whom she faced was unimportant, she had to play her kind of Go.

Kneeling down before the board, Nase reached for the bowls that still sat on the board and took one in hand, opening it up as her opponent did the same. Taking a quick glance at her opponent, Nase observed a slight sneer come across his face. He must think he had an easy win with her being late. Normally he might be right, with the running here, the panic and fear of being late, her time having already run off five minutes, he would expect her to play an erratic game, perhaps even be unfocused.

Her hands shaking slightly as she reached to nigiri, Nase took a deep breath and exhaled. Fourteen white stones, so she would be black. Grinning slightly as they cleared the stones off, Nase eyed her opponent levelly and reached for her first stone. Unfortunately for him she was not the typical player today, and even now her hands trembled slightly with excitement and anticipation. Her fists tightening, she bowed her head and said, "Onegaishimasu."

"Hey Nase!"

"Oh, hello Fuku, Komiya."

Sitting down next to her two insei companions, Nase smiled as she set down her drink. As she did so Fuku said, "So why were you late Nase? We were both worried when you didn't show for the lottery drawing. Did you oversleep or something?"

Smiling weakly, Nase nodded. "Yeah, I was so tired from last night's study session that I guess I just didn't hear my alarm and my mother had left to pick up something for dinner tonight, so she didn't wake me either."

Chuckling, Komiya replied, "Heh, so that's it huh? What were you doing, going over game records last night until you passed out or something?"

Shaking her head, Nase answered, "No, I was over at Shindo's house playing games and reviewing until late. The game was really intense and kind of wore me out. Still, I felt good about how I played it despite losing big time."

His brow furrowing, Fuku responded, "Shindo? So he just offered to give you some help last night, or were you paying for a lesson?"

Nase shook her head. "Not exactly, you see he's been helping me every night for almost two months now. He's pretty rough on me sometimes, but it's also been a lot of fun, I've learned a lot."

Looking at her slightly differently now, Komiya just said, "I bet." So Nase had been studying with Hikaru Shindo. While it was true that Hikaru had only passed the exam himself two years ago, the fact that he had already risen up into the Kisei League and defeated Kuwabara Honinbo spoke of his skyrocketing skill. He now seemed to be held in the same way that Akira Toya was, and Komiya wouldn't have been surprised if starting next Fall insei began showing up wanting to catch Hikaru Shindo along with Akira Toya.

Stretching his neck, Komiya took a breath. Nase's game had improved a bit over the last year, and her spot at 3rd in the last insei A League standings showed that, but he hadn't played her since just after the Youn Lions' Tournament back in late May. At that time he'd defeated her, he'd been ranked 2nd behind only Odachi, and given that this was the last year that both Odachi and Nase could be insei in his mind he'd sort of imagined the three of them passing this year together. At least, that was the dream scenario, all his friends and fellow insei coming along with him. Sadly rarely did the Pro Exam allow for such things. But if she'd been training with a pro like Shindo every day for this long then... Nase might not just be his friend and fellow competitor, she might be the biggest obstacle to passing.

"So," Komiya continued, looking to change the subject, "how's your game today going? I know it can't be easy playing after coming in late and all."

Exhaling, Nase answered, "I think I got a little over-excited at the beginning, but it's going pretty well now. Really, my opponent doesn't seem that strong. Still, I can't underestimate him. There's too much at stake after all."

"Yeah, we all want to pass the exam. Can't let up at all."

Taking a deep breath and a sip from her drink, Nase responded, "That too, but that's not all. If I don't pass, I won't be able to play him like that again."

Cocking an eyebrow, Komiya inquired, "Play who again?"

Her gaze forward and focused now, Nase replied, "Shindo."

"But don't you play him all the time already?"

Shaking her head, Nase answered back, "Not like that. I have to play him again, like we played last night."

Feeling rather lost now, Komiya turned and looked at Fuku who seemed just as clueless. Finally he said, "Umm… was there some big difference last night?"

Turning to look at Komiya fully, Nase let out a giggle and smiled. "Yes there's a difference, the way it is between two pros, the way I want our next great match to be, just like last night. It was unbelievable. The sweat, the passions flying, you could barely breathe, it was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time."

Bliss covered Nase's face now as a slight drop of blood began sliding down Komiya's nose. "Ummm, Nase, you two were playing Go last night, right?"

A confused expression crossing Nase's face, she answered, "Of course, what else would we be playing?"

His face going beet red, Komiya hastily answered back, "Um, nothing, I don't know. I just…" Turning to look at Fuku Komiya said, "So Fuku, how's your match going?"

"All right I guess, it could go either way right now."

"That's no good," Komiya replied, "You have to be confident, say you know you'll win."

"But I don't know, " Fuku answered back, "It's a close game."

Smiling, Nase responded, "Maybe, but Komiya isn't totally wrong, you have to believe you'll win no matter what, have complete confidence in your game or else doubt will slip in and the pressure will crush you. Trust me, I know."

"Yeah but I don't really think about that."

Slapping his foreheard, Komiya sighed and shook his head.

Giggling and finishing her drink, Nase rose up from her seat and tossed the bottle into the trash before heading back towards the game room. Following her with his eyes for a moment, Komiya then turned his gaze forward. She seemed rather different, kind of like Hikaru had been during the Pro Exam two years ago. Man, he had been a monster then, crushing just about anyone that had got in his way. Shivers ran through his spine as he thought of the game he'd played against Hikaru. Now Nase, having trained with Hikaru, was showing that same demeanor.

Looking about the room, Komiya's eyes searched for the outsider that Nase was playing. Perhaps he could tell him something. As his eyes stopped on his target, Komiya blanched. The man… he looked rather sick or something. Sweat was dripping down his face, and he even looked a little pale. Then there were his eyes, those were what truly told the story. They were filled with fear. He was afraid, and given what he had just seen from Nase, he had a good guess as to what he was afraid of too.

Author's Notes:

Yes I know that some of you expressed apprehension at this idea, but now that it is here I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sure you noticed that it was quite shorter than my usual chapter length, and I intend to keep it that way. This is not so much a side story as it will only last about five chapters or so in all. Also, do not expect regular updates on this, but rather updates only when we get that far timeline-wise in The Never-Ending Road. It's also for you Nase lovers who won't be seeing much of her in the main story for awhile. I don't like to speculate, but it's likely that it could be as much as fifteen chapters or so, maybe more, before she appears again.