The Tower
---
Chapter 2
---
Hikaru made her way to the Go Institute, fervently hoping that she wouldn't run into Ogata-sensei after yesterday's escapade. 'Gah! I'm just so bad at keeping secrets and Ogata-sensei is way too suspicious of me… And I still haven't figured out how I'm gonna help Sai.' After the conversation between Waya and Saeki-san that had shocked her the day before, she had decided that she wouldn't let it happen. 'Sai will return to playing net-go! She will spend many hours playing go with me again! I won't give up!' With those determined thoughts she entered the lobby.
To her relief the intimidating 9-dan wasn't anywhere in the lobby, nor were the other pro's that had been present at her little emotional breakdown. Hikaru grimaced at the thought of nearly fainting. 'I won't let the whole thing with Sai catch me off guard again! And I will find a solution to all of this! I will! But first…' The young go professional made her way to the elevator and to the match she was to play.
---
"Shindou!" Waya called out, the moment she stepped outside the room. It was lunch break and apparently Waya had been playing a game too. She smiled at her friend and called out his name in return.
"How are you doing today, Shindou? Feeling better?"
"Yeah, I'm fine Waya. I'm playing a 3-dan today, I'm in the lead for now. How's your game going?" Once upon a time Hikaru would have boasted that she was totally winning her game but after spending many years with the polite, go-obsessed Sai she had (after getting scolded by her many times) learned that it does not do to boast about a game still in progress. Now it was up to her 'sensei' to teach her that it does not do to boast at all, a lesson that might still take a while to be learned.
"It's a close game for me so far, anything might still happen." Waya answered, while the both of them were putting on their shoes. "However, as long as I don't make any mistakes I should be able win."
Hikaru made a sound of agreement and guided the conversation to a much more important subject. "So, wanna get ramen for lunch?" She was already walking in the direction of her favourite lunch place.
Her friend answered her with a groan.
---
As Hikaru walked out of the room in which the games were held, any thought of her life as a professional go player left her mind. It is startling how easy it has become for the young go player to turn the switch in her head; the moment she sits down in front of a goban her mind clears itself of anything else but the game in front of her. It is probably this skill that today's win could be attributed to, because without it her thoughts would have been lingering on Sai's ordeal instead of them being focused were they should be. Now that the game was over, however, she could allow her thoughts to be taken up by her friend's troubles again.
'I've already decided that I'm not going to let Sai's parents and suitors take go away from her, but what can I do to help? I've already tried talking to Sai, she loves go but she won't go against her family. I've talked with her parents, which didn't help the situation at all.'
She took a seat in the lunch room, still deep in thought.
'Talking to her suitors is also doomed to failure, they are all rich snobs who would probably prefer it if she gives up on a game they have absolutely no clue about. It would be fine for them if she has more time to be the perfect little housewife. From what I've seen and heard of them so far I doubt telling them how much Sai loves go will change their minds… it certainly didn't help with her parents.'
"Shindou-san!" Hikaru looked up to see Saeki-san entering the room.
"Good afternoon, Saeki-san! Aren't you a bit early? I thought Morishita's study session didn't start until three 'o clock?" Hikaru asked the 5-dan, after a quick look at the clock.
Her sempai sat down beside her, nodding his head. "Yeah, I am a bit early, I wanted to talk to Waya-kun. Is he done with his game yet?"
Hikaru gave him a negative answer, telling him her friend would probably be done soon. "I glanced at his game and if all goes well he'll probably win it a few moves from now."
As if summoned by their thoughts, the object of their conversation entered. "Saeki-san! You're here already?" he said, nodding his hello to Hikaru too.
Once again, Hikaru delved back into her thoughts, trying to find a solution, thinking up many potential actions to take and predicting what would happen if she chose to make that move. It was a lot harder in real life than in a go match, however, and she started to despair ever finding a solution. She sighed, giving up on figuring something out for now and turned her attention to the conversation the two go players next to her were having.
"It's just annoying, you know, she keeps nagging me about the amount of time I spend playing go, saying that I don't give her enough of my time."
Waya nodded as his friend continued. "Whenever I have the time I do take her out to dinner or a movie or something, but then after a while I'll get busy again. She just doesn't understand how necessary it is to prepare for matches with higher dans. And it's not like I don't try, even when I'm really busy I try to spend time with her too, I used to ask her if she wanted to go over the games I was studying with me. Natsumi knows the basics of go, and I wouldn't mind explaining the things she doesn't get, but she's just not interested enough to spend so much time on go." Saeki-san shook his head sadly and looked at Waya for advice.
"Yeah, It's really hard; dating someone who isn't a go player too. I can't really help you with this, Saeki-san, my only attempt at dating someone not interested in go ended after only a week. I can't imagine how you managed to survive two whole months with Natsumi-san." Waya answered, in his own blunt way.
Hikaru didn't pay any attention to what they said after that, her mind drifted back to when she heard Touya tell her how much money professional go players could make. In a flash Ogata-sensei's expensive red car filled her vision before her mind drifted to Sai's mother telling her that 'rich men are just not interested in a young lady with such a silly hobby' after which her thoughts finally settled on the words she just heard Waya say; 'It's really hard; dating someone who isn't a go player too.'
'It's a stupid idea!' she told herself firmly 'it's stupid, embarrassing and doomed to failure.' Hikaru shook her head at the desperate ploy her mind supplied her with. 'It's the silliest solution any human being could come up with and it's not gonna work.'
By the time Morishita's study session began, Hikaru's will was resolved. 'I'm going to set Sai up with a rich go player or die (of embarrassment) trying!'
---
Author's note:
Hmm, this chapter's a bit shorter than I wanted it to be, but the chapter 'felt' finished so I guess this is it for now. I'm not fully satisfied about it, but there isn't really anything that I felt needed changing...Anyways, onwards to Hikaru the match-maker! - (I made up a girlfriend for Saeki o.0)
Silver-White-Tiger: Thank you for your review! - I know Sai's love for the game is immense, but I figured that if she grew up in a rather strict family and had been denied becoming an Insei or just taking the pro exam she would sort of be used to having her family make the decisions for her. I just see the Sai I'm writing as an obedient, kind, polite person who only really lights up when it comes to go, although she has become a bit less restrained / withdrawn because of Hikaru's influence. Although I have written some future scenes already, I don't have any with Akira yet… I guess I'll have to wait and see like you where the story takes me.
NeoGene: grins I like Ogata-sensei, I couldn't resist bringing him in! I figured, suspicious and 'cold' as he might be, he is still an adult and as an 'older' go pro sort of a teacher to the insei and especially Hikaru (because he sponsored her) so he would feel a bit responsible in these sorts of situations. Not really an exciting chapter, but I hope you still liked it!
Hazuki128: Thanks for reviewing! Of course I had to check out your own stories after reading your review. - I like your songfic (haven't read the other one since I don't know the anime? it's about. I debated making this a songfic too, but then I would have had to leave so much of my ideas out of it. Perhaps the last chapter (or a bonus chapter?) will be a songfic of 'the Tower' from Vienna Teng. But I'm not sure about that yet…
TheHamsterInMyMind: Thank you! The plot just wouldn't leave me alone, so I had to write it. I hope you like the 'new' spin on it. (though it was going here since the beginning, did you see it coming?)