A/N: sorry for making everyone wait!~ On the bright side, it's finally after exams, and i'm going to enjoy by writing more stories until around february? Maybe.
The second they step into the go institute, they hear the yell. It's a loud yell in a refined voice. An odd contrast, not entirely unpleasant.
"What is with this move?" Touya Akira is ranting, "It doesn't make sense at all!"
Waya glances at Isumi, surprised and shocked at Touya's outburst. After all, Touya has always been reserved and mature. No matter how stupid his opponent's move was, he usually tolerated the stupidity with a gentle calm born of patience. Of course, this was what pros were expected to do. So what could he make out of this, Waya wonders. Perhaps this was another side of him that Waya had not noticed before? Did Touya enjoy screaming his head off in the Go institute after everyone left? No, that was impossible. Oh, Touya could be rude, but he was not this rude. He could brush people off without really even trying, but he was never in-your-face rude. This level of rudeness was almost on par with Shindou's version of rudeness. In fact, the only reason why it was not on par was Touya's voice. What is happening? Touya is as constant as daylight, and just as brilliant. So why is he screaming now? More importantly, who is he screaming at?
"It's utterly useless!" Touya continues ranting in the background.
Waya toys with the idea that there is actually no one there, and that the young genius is finally losing it, then dismisses the thought. He nudges Isumi in the general direction of the noise, wordlessly beckoning the older pro towards Touya. His – brother figure? Favourite go person? Best friend? Rival? – friend, he decides at last, shakes his head and says something about not interrupting a fight.
Waya shrugs and bursts in anyway. It's not like Isumi won't follow him.
"What were you thinking?" Touya finishes, clearly not noticing Waya's entrance into the room.
To his surprise, the person at the other side of the goban was Shindou. Shindou gazes at Touya, his attention completely taken in by Touya's rant. Evidently, he had not noticed Waya and Isumi either.
Waya glances at the board. Shindou's hand is just millimetres from a black go stone, and Waya guesses that that black go stone is the last stone Shindou had put down, the one that had caused even Touya to fly into a rage. Now that he is seeing it, it was indeed a spectacularly bad move. It does not connect with other stones, it does not protect any other stones and it certainly does not do anything for his already disadvantageous position. Now, if he had played a stone diagonally upwards, for instance, he might still have had a fighting chance. He supposes that he would have been mad at Shindou too, if he were Shindou's opponent. However, since Touya was Shindou's opponent, Waya has no doubt that Shindou would have tried to play well. Shindou has always wanted to beat Touya, after all. Could there have been a hidden meaning? After all, there was that game with Hon Suyon...
"Akira..." Shindou finally speaks up, obviously about to defend his move, "You look really pretty when you're angry..." Shindou says wistfully.
Okay, so Waya was wrong about Shindou defending his move. Wait, what-what-what? Pretty? Well, he supposes Touya is kind of –no, that was not the point! What the hell is going through Shindou's mind?
It sounded almost like Shindou was... like he was cajoling a lover or something. No, Waya screams internally, he did not just think that. Now he has to wash his mind with extra strong detergent. They are just rivals, that is all. And yet Shindou's eyes seems to be on Touya's lips, for some reason. Maybe he is trying to make out the words Touya is saying?
Touya blushes. Blushes! Then again, anyone would be surprised. Even Touya. Shindou really has to work on not saying the first thing that came to mind. "S-Stick to the topic!" Touya rages, although Waya can see that he is no longer angry. "What were you trying to do?"
"It's just- I could still win. Even if I put the stone there, I could win," Shindou states calmly, his eyes never leaving Touya's face. Funny, really, how they were acting like each other.
"That's ridiculous! " Touya replies, "how would this help you to capture territory?"
"It won't," Shindou replies, so calmly that Waya was on the verge on slapping his hand against his own forehead at his friend's sheer stupidity.
"Then why did you make that move?"
" It's just... that it kind of brings..." Shindou blushes, a little unwilling to complete the sentence, "it kind of brings my hand closer to your body," Shindou half-whispers.
Touya's face is priceless, half surprised and half as though he was turned on(wait, turned on?) then he yells even more, although Waya can tell that he's hiding a smile and sporting a huge blush. And if Waya can see that much, it is pretty obvious. Waya may be brilliant at reading moves (he is after all, a go pro), but he is rather hopeless at reading people outside of the basic emotions of nervousness, panic, fear, confidence, calm, and the classic"I just figured out a brilliant strategy" emotions. After all, he only ever needs those few for go. That is why his mouth is now permanently in the shape of an 'O'. He wants to glance at Isumi, but the scene at hand is too riveting to miss out on, not even for a second. He's sure Isumi suspected something like this, though.
Shindou smiles a little shyly, stands up and walks towards Touya. Clumsily, he places his arms around Touya and says something that sounds suspiciously like "I want you," although Waya is sure he's simply gone mad.
Just then, Isumi coughs purposefully, his own face the colour of tomatoes.
...okay, maybe he isn't the only one who's hopeless at reading deep emotions.
The two jump apart while Touya desperately thinks up an excuse.
Shindou turns and glares. "You sure know how to ruin the mood," he says, annoyed, "And after all the time I spent on creating the right mood, too," he huffs, and no amount of go will ever make Waya's world right again. Shindou practically shoos both of them out, saying something like "Get your own room to flirt in!" or something. Exactly those words, except Shindou doesn't say flirt. To his credit, Touya looks horrified and apologetic.
They are left standing outside the go institute, listening to Shindou cajole Touya. "No one will come in this time, I promise," Shindou seems to be saying, and then comes Touya's answering angry voice, saying that they've done it this morning and Shindou shouldn't be so insatiable, and Waya just stops thinking.
"You know, maybe we should," Isumi mumbles, blushing madly. Waya is unable to process the thought, so he almost nods mutely before he starts thinking. Exactly what does Isumi mean? Then he recalls Shindou's words.
WHAT?
a/n: well, at least he thought before he nodded? Lol. In the end, it's like he wants to speak, but he's just so shocked that his mouth muscles are paralysed... or something. What did you guys think?
