Repost from 31_days challenge. It was originally multi-chapter, but, well, I don't really think I am capable of continuing it (yeah, writer's block again, *sigh* ). By the way, this seriously needs revising.
"By picking up the light from distant stars, the telescope actually looks back into the past..."
Indescribable, unimaginable, incredible, miraculous... You gritted your teeth reluctantly, admittedly. Your heart was menacingly pounding against your chest in fuming rage, demanding to leap through your bones and flesh solely out of astonishment.
The outcome was clear. The blond-banged boy folded his fan and tapped it on the goban silently. It felt as if you had returned once again to that hot, blur spring afternoon in the grand hall of Kaio Junior High, where for the first time in your life you had a chance to witness such magnificent Go showing its fangs. There was only one difference this time: you did not desire for such strength anymore. In fact, you loathed it.
Sweat stained your face when you saw the auburn Korean, with his face down perhaps to cover the humiliation, mutter so softly to the extent of almost incomprehensible, "I resign". Your hands folded into tight fists and trembled vigorously as the winner, calmly and collectedly as ever, stood up with the usual polite "Thank you for the game". Without sparing his opponent a look, even a victorious look, he simply turned away.
It was May 5th.
You watched the blond walk away, coolly and distantly. Your eyes squinted as you tried to catch a glimpse of this alien who had probably taken over your rival's body, which you did not even realize since when. There was not a single trace of gloating on his face. His eyes were purely glassy as if they were made of stone. And where the flame that had always been lingering in his bright jade pupils was anyway, you wondered, the flame that blazed with passion every time both of you played against each other, which always made you want to melt just by gazing at it.. What left of those beautiful eyes now was only indifference and coldness, reminding you of statues of gods and deities in a Shinto temple mother used to take you to. As if he was of a higher position above everyone else. As if he did not play against them at all, but simply passing judgments onto them.
And indeed he did. However difficult you found it to accept, you could not turn a blind eye to his extreme brilliance. Frozen, you stared fixedly at the goban with an utter loss for word. Who would ever believe that his opponent had been the strongest young Baduk pro of Korea?
To think that the game had barely reached yose... it made you shiver.
Glancing at the proud Korean pro, you could read his utter shock through the way his hands just froze, the way he parted his lips as if to say something but nothing came out, the way his shoulders still tensed even after the game had ended and his opponent had left. You knew he could not be blamed - just one year ago Hikaru still seemed to stand so far behind him. But just now... absolutely no one would be able to confront such overwhelming power. No one - your whole body trembled - even your father...
How could it possibly happen, you questioned yourself. How could you possibly let it happne? How could you allow Hikaru to go this far beyond you? Allow your eternal rival to go this far beyond you? Rival - you wanted to laugh at the word. How could you claim him, even just mentally, as your rival anymore, now that you were no match against him? You felt as though you had been betrayed, as though you had been robbed of something important.
Witnessing this game hurt you more than any word could tell.
"How can it be?" the defeated pro murmured all of a sudden after a while lost in thought, trying his best to hide the shaking fear in his voice. "How can he progress this quickly? His most recent kifu did not even show a trace..."
You gasped. Right, since when? And how? Your training games yesterday were still completely normal, with shouting at stupid mistakes and yelling at each other's faces the number of "Oh I see" and insulting each other with stupid nicknames. The games were normal, his Go was normal; nothing was out of ordinary.
Hikaru couldn't in any way gain such tremendous power over night, could he?
Your eyes wide opened. Turning around, you quickly ran towards the corridor where Hikaru had just disappeared, neglecting the ceremony, with complete intention of leaving Yashiro to handle all the talking. Contrary to last year, however, those lousy reporters equipped with all sorts of giant cameras and microphones and video recorders had shifted all their attention towards team Japan, the winner of this year Hokuto Cup, and kept blocking your way, forcing you to shove them off violently just to get through. You had never done anything to disgrace the Touya family name, you know that, but now, seriously, you did not give a damn about reputation.
"Shindou! Oi, Shindou!" you tried to draw him back, but it was futile. The reporters besieged you so tightly that you started to be convinced that Hikaru must have truly been a genius to manage to escape these people. Not to mention that he was the one who created a miracle, not you or Yashiro. The thought just made you even more frustrated.
In the end, you did not succeed in getting rid of them - Yashiro had actually helped pull you back, apparently the poor boy did not want to be left alone, damn him! After some quick interviews with a few exchange of words (which obviously lasted just about 2 or 3 hours), you were released to your own room, luckily enough to still in one piece, only to find Hikaru nextdoor, dressed in his Hawaii T-shirt and jeans, almost done packing.
"Leaving so soon?" you asked, aware that three of yoy would not have to check out until the next day.
"Yeah," he responded with that I-do-not-wish-to-talk-now look on his face, trying to push his crumbled stacks of kifu into his suitcase.
"Wanna play a game?" You suggested, trying to be light-hearted, but still not enough to hide your seriousness. "Just for fun."
Hikaru kept remaining silent until successfully locked his purple leather suitcase. Then he turned to you, not lifting his face so that his eyes would not be shown. "I'm tired," he replied.
You winced. "Even for Go?"
"Especially Go."
There was an uncertainty in his voice that triggered your anger. Your shoulder tensed and your muscles convulsed as you tried to control your boiling rage. Reaching forward, you raised his chin with your forefinger, forcing him to meet your gaze. A lifeless, soulless pair of eyes was all that you saw,.
"Who are you?" you dropped your hand to one side, partly because of shock, partly due to anger, but most of all an incomprehensible emotion. "You cannot be Shindou. Who are you?"
The blond dragged his suitcase past you without a word. But suddenly he tilted his head to one side to face you very quickly, whispering between his breaths.
"I'm sorry Touya... Don't make me... I cannot play Go with you... today..."
You froze upon the sight of his eyes. They were by no means those empty pupils anymore. You saw them, and you let him go, and you just could not help quivering as something in those eyes kept haunting your mind after he had left.
Inside his eyes was fear. Plain fear.
As if he had sold his soul to demon for power. The thought struck you even more. Clenching your teeth, you tightened your fists. Don't you dare hide from me, Shindou! - a voice growled inside your head in fury. However stronger you have become, I'll make sure I would always be your equal!
The end.