So um. Totally not what I had intended to write this weekend. I was set on Naruto, but out came Hikaru no Go. D: It's also something none of my fans will expect, so I'm sorry about that. haha welps. It's something. A short little piece that might be extended. Not sure yet, though.

Fully Alive

G / PG, post series, SaiHikaru (sort of, but mostly friendship)

People start taking notice when they see him on the street. Granted, it's a rather startling thing to witness, two men (in this case, a grown man and a not-so-grown man) walking down the street, holding hands. It isn't just that their hands are clasped around one another's, however. No, they're walking with their fingers laced together. Like. Like. A couple.

Until this very moment, Yoshitaka Waya has never believed in those rumors that Shindou Hikaru was batting for the other team. He claims that he doesn't believe in things that he hasn't seen with his own eyes (which is also the reason why he doubted Shindou's rivalry with Touya for so long, but seriously, what sane person would have believed it at that time anyway?). But there's the undeniable proof.

Shindou. Standing in front of an electronics store, gesturing wildly at something on display, with eyes as bright as they used to be before his mysterious absence from the Go world all those years ago. That's not the weird thing though. The weird thing is that he's doing all this with another man's hand in his. Another man.

A man with delicate, almost feminine features, with dark (purple? blue?) hair tied back into a loose ponytail. He's never even seen a girl with hair as long as that. He's taller than Shindou (and therefore taller than Waya by default, damn it) and lanky, dressed a little too formally for just walking down the street. But the man is smiling down at Shindou, amused (if that tiny little curl of his lip and the look in his eyes is any indication). He has this soft, gentle look that stops Waya in his tracks though (which he figures is a good thing since confronting Shindou now would probably lead to the awkwardest conversation ever). He looks at Shindou as if he's the most precious thing in the world.

Shindou looks oblivious, though. He continues moving their joined hands up and down with every gesticulation, unaware of The Look. Shindou looks the same as ever, with his bleached blond bangs swinging to and fro, his baggy jeans, his scuffed sneakers, and his trademark shirt with the five on it. The blue button up collared shirt seems as if it's been thrown on at the last minute. They continue walking after a while, their hands never separating, and--

Oh crap. They're walking towards him. They're going to reach him. Waya is not normally one to panic, but he's never actually actively spied on someone before. And this definitely counts as spying. Frantically, he dives behind a pole, leaning into it with as much casualty as he can muster.

All the casualty in the world can't save him, though. Shindou notices him right away. He even lets out a greeting. Reluctantly, Waya turns around to reply, and he can't help but notice that they're still holding hands. He can't take his eyes off of their hands (even though he wants to) because up close, it's just all the more real.

"Where're you headed?" Shindou asks, as if his hand isn't being held captive.

Waya quickly makes up an excuse about meeting up with Isumi for a game, but he's too caught up in staring to make the lie any more elaborate.

"Ah, Waya, this is…Fujiwara," Shindou introduces, once he notices The Staring. They're connected by their left hands, so Waya expects to shake his right (since that's what people outside of the Go world do, right?) but Fujiwara inclines his head in a bow instead.

"It's nice to meet you, Waya-kun. Hikaru talks about you a lot," Fujiwara says with a smile. Even his voice is feminine. And did he just call Shindou by his first name?

"Likewise," Waya replies, but adds with suspicion, "He's never mentioned you though."

He knows it's rude, but he can't help it. Who is this man? Who is this mysterious person holding his friend's hand like it was completely natural to do so? They're eighteen, for god's sake. It's just not normal for two males to hold hands anymore.

Fujiwara looks taken aback, but Shindou deftly (and since when was he so smooth?) cuts in the conversation.

"He hasn't been well, and there was no reason to ever bring him up in conversation. It'd have been such a mood killer," he whines in a voice Waya has grown accustomed to. "But he's better now, and I'm introducing you two, aren't I?"

True. But still. The excuse was flimsy at best. Fujiwara still looks surprised, but Shindou only clenches his hand tighter, as if assuring him that it was alright. Waya still needs answers, however. His curiosity has gotten him into trouble a number of times, but one more wouldn't hurt.

"So are you two…together?"

"What?" Now it's Shindou's turn to look taken aback. Which makes Waya a little surprised in return.

"Um. Your hands," Waya mumbles, a little embarrassed at actually having to say it.

Shindou and Fujiwara blink and simultaneously look down at their combined hands. Shindou's was tan and callused while Fujiwara's was pale and all…delicate looking. Gah. Could he be any more of a girl?

"Oh."

Fujiwara moves to the side as if he's going to pull away, but Shindou suddenly grips his hand so hard that Waya's sure that the other man is sure to bruise later. He wants to tease his friend, but one look at the professional Go player's face tells him that this is not the right time. Shindou's eyes are wild, desperate, looking up at Fujiwara and Waya suddenly feels as if he's intruding, that he doesn't belong here right now.

"I'm going to. Um. Isumi. Right. I was going to meet him. Over there. And I'm late! So bye!" Waya rushes past the pair, face aflame. He feels like such a heel, and damn it, this situation so obviously tells him that he needs to improve his ninja spying skills.

Back where he left them, Fujiwara has moved back closer to Shindou, running his hands through those bleached bangs. Contrary to popular belief, they're not dried and breaking off, but soft and smooth.

"Hikaru, I'm not leaving," he says softly.

A little defensively, Hikaru says, "I know. Sai, I know. I just, I just need to make sure that you're not going away again."

And Sai smiles sadly at him, knowing that despite what he tells him, Hikaru needs the constant physical reminder that Sai is still here.

"Well," he says lightly, "it seems Waya-kun took that well."

Shindou stares at him, jarred (but thankful) at the change in subject. He makes a face at Sai and ruthlessly continues pulling him. "Yea, well, we can only hope it goes that well when you meet Touya."

Sai only lets out a little sigh, wondering when would be the right time to ask Hikaru what "together" really means.

Owari

A/N: So I'm a huge fan of AkiraHikaru, but I couldn't help it. I miss Sai so much that I just had to write this. That plus reading a bunch of SaiHikaru fics just to see what they're like, of course didn't help matters at all. I left a lot of things unexplained, but that was intentional. Maybe I'll explain it in a companion piece? Welps. This has not been beta read, so if there is anything weird, please let me know! :D Oh, and the title of this comes from one of Flyleaf's songs, which I take no credit for either.