Hikaru no go and all characters, settings, and storylines involved belongs to Hotta and Obata, not me. I'm just borrowing them for some speculation.
Additionally, this hasn't been beta-read by anyone but me, so please yell at me if I made and spelling or grammar errors.
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Some day, Hikaru will wake up and realize what he always had in front of him in the form of Akari.
That day, he will seek her out. By then, they will not have seen each other in years, and will not have spoken in twice that. Akari will still follow Hikaru's progress in Go Weekly religiously, and will send him a letter of congratulation every time he wins a big match. He will never reply.
Akari will have moved on. She will be married now and happy. Hikaru won't know this as he walks up the drive to her home – if his parents or Akari updated him on her life, he wouldn't have paid attention, too obsessed with go and his rivalry. Eventually, they will have taken the hint and given up trying.
Hikaru will offer lunch to Akari. Her kids are off at school and she doesn't have anything else to do, so she will accept the offer. When he explains why he came, a sad look will come across Akari's face. She'd given up on him ever returning her feelings years ago, and when her husband had asked, she'd accepted his offer of a date, eventually falling in love with him and letting go of the feelings she'd once had for her childhood crush. What she had wanted so badly for so many years, now finally hers – when she no longer wants it. It will be a moment far more bitter than sweet. She'll explain that she's married now with a life of her own and tell him she's happy. She'll apologise to Hikaru as he feels his hopes shatter into a million tiny pieces.
Hikaru will no longer be the brash youth he once was. Years of work in the professional go scene have tempered and matured him. He will not yell or cause a scene. Instead he will nod, apologize for taking up her time, and suggest they play a game some time, for old time's sake.
As he leaves, he will come to realized that he had forfeited this game long before he knew it even existed or how important it was. He will curse his own foolishness and vow that if he is lucky enough that love comes to him a second time, he will not forfeit that game as well. He will play and win.
His go will show his pain and anger for a month or two, becoming more aggressive, even reckless and sloppy, before it settles into a new pattern, careful and no longer allowing any opening to slip by his grasp. People will marvel at this change in the still young pro, and wonder why he slipped off the top for a few months, only to return better than before. Akira will not have to ask – Hikaru's go will tell the story, and Akira will invite him over to his own salon more often than normal, helping Hikaru work through the pain and anger of a missed opportunity with their frequent games of go.
It will be after one of their regular fights that he meets her, and this time Hikaru will recognize the start of a game and with a deep breath, he'll play his opening move. He will not forfeit this one.
