Disclaimer: I don't own Hikaru no Go, or else Ogata would get more screen time.

Touya Hikaru

-Chapter 3-

The Beginning of the End

Sunday brought chirping birds, bright sunshine, and an overly excited ghost.

Hikaru, Hikaru, Hikaru, Hikaru, Hikaru, Hikaru, Hikaru, HIKARU, HIKARUUU!

"Nmmph!" replied the harassed teen in question, still trying to sleep despite the pain in his ears, courtesy of a certain dead man with the voice of a banshee. Reluctantly he sat up, darkly muttering, "Be glad you're already dead," but the ghost merely ignored it with a fluttering hand. Death threats were not very effective on an apparition.

In the meantime, Hikaru had managed to rip himself entirely from the warm covers, and clamber to his knees. He reached up to the window and fumbled around for the latch to the window. Between Sai's encouragement, his fiddling about, and his half cracked-open eyes, he finally found the knob and flung the window free of the frame.

With his opening to the outer world, it brought with it a tirade of nature for Hikaru's recovering senses. The sun caressed his face and helped his eyes dilate while Hikaru rubbed the remaining sleep out of them. Based from his experience as a soccer player, he could tell easily that today would be sunny and lack the usual spring-time rain.

His nose picked up the scent of his mother's blossoming daffodils, tulips, and lilacs from the garden beneath his window. It was a classical Japanese garden, complete with the bamboo water system – the name of which, Hikaru could never remember. The garden was where his parents met half-way. His mother's love of flowers mixed with his traditional father. He was a fan of neither, but he enjoyed the scent, and he stuck his head out like a dog in the backseat of a truck.

Taking in the warmth, the scent, and the feeling; Hikaru committed the experience to memory. Being with Sai for the past week had opened his eyes to just how important these little experiences. More than once, he had shared Sai's sadness due to the apparition's lack of tangibility. Although Hikaru could feel the world around himself, his consciousness was so close to ghost's that they often felt the same emotions.

The wind picked up, blowing his raven bangs around and he committed the sensation of the hair brushing against his face to his memory. The sudden clack of the bamboo against stone brought him back to reality. 'The Go Con today, right, Sai?'

A smile graced the ghost's semi-transparent features. Yes Hikaru. I'm glad you remembered.

Chuckling, Hikaru shut himself in the closet to shed his pajamas and change into every-day clothes – black, loose, denim jeans and a loose, tie-dyed, number two t-shirt. "Sai, how could I forget when that was all you'd talk about for the past week?" He was slowly getting used to just thinking when we wanted to talk, but Hikaru still preferred to open his mouth when he was engaged in conversation. As such, within the confines of his own bedroom, he freely spoke aloud to Sai.

While the apparition blushed at the well aimed accusation, Hikaru ran through his daily routine in the bathroom. Swiftly, he brushed his teeth, washed his face, ran a comb through his hair, and applied Axe. He thought to shut his window as he rushed by his room, but decided against it. It was too beautiful a day to keep locked out of his abode. He hustled into the kitchen with a breathless, "I'm here!"

Akiko glanced up from the tea she was preparing. Somewhat incredulously, she glanced at the blue rimmed clock mounted on the wall. "And for what reason are you up so early?" she asked, unused to her son waking up before 11:30.

Popping waffles into the toaster and grabbing a glass for milk, Hikaru fished for a legitimate excuse. "I was gonna…go to the Tokyo Tower!" It was the first land mark nearby that had come to mind, but he liked it. Rolling with the idea, he continued. "See, there's this sport's shop nearby called Soccer Alliance and Toshimori – the middle mid-fielder – suggested it. He said it's suppose to be really cool, so I thought I'd check it out." It wasn't a total and utter lie. Toshimori had been singing the praises of the store for the past few months and – despite his annoyance at the constant reminders of the shop's existence – Hikaru found himself genuinely interested. Unfortunately it would have to wait for another day…not that Akiko needed to know.

"You're going alone?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow. Without the addition, Hikaru could tell there was a rebuttal waiting to crush him.

"Well…yeah, but I'll have my cell phone on me! Besides, I'm only going to be gone for a few hours. I'll be back before you know it! Please Mom? Please, please, please, please, please?" he asked, dropping to his knees as his waffles popped.

The eyebrow remained arched against the pleading hands and bright green eyes imploring motherly consent. She finally broke. "Fine. But I want you to call me up every twenty minutes or so, alright?"

"Yeah, of course!" Hikaru agreed, wrapping his arms tightly around his mother. "Thanks sooo much Mum!" he said as Sai cheered in the back of his mind, cheering his praises. Before his mother could change her mind, he downed the milk and poured some syrup on the still warm waffles, taking them for the go.

At the door, he shoved the rest of his breakfast in his mouth and slid his feet into the black and yellow shoes that waited. He hoisted his black and yellow backpack on his shoulder and headed out with door with a loud, "I love you!" 'C'mon, Sai! To the Go Convention!'

Trailing behind the running teenager, Sai cheered along, happy tears coming to the corners of his eyes. It's been too long…

A subway ride and a half-mile walk later left Hikaru and Sai staring at the front of a massive grey building. Um…Hikaru, are you sure we're in the right place? Sai asked, searching for a sign or poster that would promote the convention.

Checking the magazine in his hand, Hikaru cocked his head. 'Well…this is the same address.' To be safe he checked his watch, but the convention had already started. 'It's suppose to be right here, and it's the right time. I guess we should just wander around. I'm sure we'll find it.' He glanced up and down the streets quickly to make sure he hadn't just missed the sign and sighed. He saw nothing to indicate there was anything Go related going on anywhere nearby.

'Here we go, then…' He charged forward, throwing the doors open with confidence, only to deflate. Still no sign of Go. Growing increasingly worried, Hikaru shuffled up to the front desk, his cheeks growing redder by the second. "Um…Excuse me, ma'am?" he asked, his confidence completely diminished. "Is there a Go Convention taking place here?"

Black bored eyes bore down on the nervous teen as the twenty year old woman blew a large bubble of pink gum. Once it had popped and been returned to the confines of her mouth, she motioned down the hall, "Third door on your left, hon."

Heart soaring, Hikaru beamed. "Thanks!" He waved as he dashed down the hall, counting doors. Bursting through the third door, his face lit up. 'We found it, Sai!'

Completely astounded, both stared at the floor of Go enthusiasts browsing from stand to stand, checking out merchandise and watching simulations. There were stands selling goods, tables of pros teaching amateurs, and a large stage on which two pros were playing a game while another analyzed the game for the audience. "Crap!" Hikaru ducked down behind a moving older gentleman who seemed to be milling about randomly.

What's wrong? Sai asked, taken aback by the sudden behavior.

'See up there?' Hikaru pointed to the stage and Sai followed the finger. 'Ogata's playing and Ashiwara's the analyzer!'

Blinking, Sai looked back at Hikaru as he tried to keep low. I understand Ogata-san's a problem, but what about this Ashiwara, man? he asked, crouching down next to Hikaru as he floated along.

Dodging into the crowd to further conceal himself, Hikaru gave a shaky smile. 'He's one of Dad's students. He comes once a week for their study session. I don't know him well, but still, he'd recognize me. Plus, he's a blabber-mouth.'

Despite the unfamiliar phrase, Sai got the jest of the situation. He continued following Hikaru as the young Touya tried to avoid anyone he knew, but that plan backfired completely. Ah! Hikaru, wait! Sai called, trying to warn his backwards-walking host of said boy's imminent peril.

Unfortunately, Hikaru didn't hear in time and there was a large crash. He flopped to the floor as a crowd began backing off. Whoever he ran into had managed to keep their footing. "Oops! Sorry about that!" Hikaru said quickly, wanting to return to the protection of the surrounding audience. "I didn't mean t-to…" he trailed off, his eyes widening in fear and recognition.

"Ah. Hikaru, what are you doing here?" Touya Koyou asked in surprise, not expecting to see his son at a Go Convention of all places.

Immediately whispers and murmurs passes through the crowds as rumors began to spread among the Touya Meijin fans. A red-haired man with a bushy moustache appeared beside Koyou with a notebook in hand. "Touya-sensei, how do you know this boy?" the man asked. Apparently he was a reporter for Go weekly – Hikaru remembered seeing his picture in the magazine, but couldn't remember his name. Likewise, the reporter couldn't remember seeing the image of the boy any where. He certainly wasn't an Insei or signed up for the Pro-exam.

"Oh, Amano-san, hello," Touya said, the ever polite, traditional father. "This is Hikaru. He is my son." Gasps went through the crowd and the bystanders seemed to close in on the already uncomfortable teenager.

"Oh-ho!" Amano chuckled, trying to contain his glee. This could very well be the cover-page article for the week. "So, we have another Go prodigy here, huh?" Despite being a question, it sounded like a statement.

Meanwhile, Hikaru's comfort level had gone beyond where it had ever been before. "Actually, I don't play Go. I'm just here…to, uh-" he flustered, trying to think up an excuse. As he had earlier, he fell back on the ever perfect Tokyo Tower lie. "I thought I'd ask Dad if he'd want to go the Tokyo Tower with me, but you're obviously busy, so I'll just go." He bowed out of habit before slipping back through the crowd before he was bombarded with more questions.

With the main event over, the crowd began to dissipate, no reason left to be in the vicinity. To Hikaru's later gratefulness, he had only been seen by a dozen or so random amateurs and the reporter hadn't had a camera man by his side like most usually did.

Once outside, Hikaru slid against the wall till he was sitting on the ground. 'Great…now how am I going to go back in there? Too many people will recognize me now. Geez, Sai. You could have warned me-' His complaint was interrupted by his sudden vibrating pocket. "Augh! I forgot to call Mom!" He pulled a red Razor and flipped it open, instantly being subjected to his mother's nagging. "Look, Mom! I – Yes, I realize it's been forty-five minut – I know, I agreed to – Yeah, I know, but – Mom!" he finally yelled, interrupting her. "Look, I was just um…I thought I'd ask Dad if he wanted to go with me to Tokyo Tower. Do you know where he is? – Go Convention? – Downtown? – Okay, thanks!" He flipped the phone and sighed.

But…Hikaru, you already asked your father to join you, Sai pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I had to cover my tracks somehow. Now if they ask each other, they'll get the same story," he replied, satisfied he'd managed to cover that much up. 'Now our only problem is getting back in there. Any ideas?'

Sai shrugged. He didn't know what this era had to cover up Hikaru.

Growing more lost by the minute, Hikaru stood, taking a moment to balance himself. He found a rock and began kicking it down the street as he paced, trying to come up with a solution to his problem. "Geez…The answers to my problems usually just pop out at me," he muttered, giving the rock a good strong kick only to lose it amongst the trashcans in the alley. "Damn," he swore, kicking at one of the cans.

Nursing his injured foot, Hikaru looked up at a billboard of Naoki Fyujinori, sticking out his tongue. 'Stupid models. They've got it easy. All they have to do is tell the press to keep things quite. Pass out some money here and there and everyone becomes quite as a mouse, and all he has to do is sponsor hair dye! Lucky bas-' Hikaru stopped, blinking. The answer was smiling right in his face. 'C'mon, Sai! We're heading back home!'

Crestfallen, Sai stared at a Hikaru, ready to break out into tears. B-b-but, Hikaaruuu!! he blubbered, on the verge of a water leak. What about the Go Convention? I thought… He had waited all week to be able to play Go, and now they going back?

Rolling his eyes at the over-dramatic ghost, Hikaru grinned, adding a chuckle for effect. 'Don't worry, Sai. I've got it all figured out!' And with that, he ran in front of the ghost, turning the walk home into a race to try and side-track Sai for ten minutes.

As Hikaru and Sai neared the entrance to the Touya residence, Hikaru skidded to a stop. "I better call Mom…" He rang up the house while he hid in the bushes at the side of the house. He quickly explained that Koyou was busy at the convention, so as he had originally planned, Hikaru would go to Tokyo Tower alone.

"All right, Hikaru, but be careful. Got it?"

"Yes, Mom," Hikaru repeated for the third time since the beginning of the conversation. "I'll be cautious, don't worry." He added a 'love ya, too', and flipped the phone closed. 'Okay, time to sneak into the house…ninja-style,' finally truly thankful for the mental link he shared with Sai.

Creeping cautiously into the garden, Hikaru kept his eyes peeled for any sign of his mother entering the backyard. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he dashed under his window and crawled into the house and onto his bed, rolling off and onto the floor. He landed on all fours in a pathetic attempt to appear cat-like. 'Now…to find that hair dye…'

Glancing up and down the hallway, Hikaru snuck into the bathroom next to his room and began digging through the cabinet beneath the sink. 'Here!' He lifted the bottle up, showing off the red cap.

What's that? Sai asked, befuddled by the unfamiliar can.

Lifting off the top, Hikaru began spraying it in his hair as he explained. 'Last year I cosplayed for Halloween. I'd completely forgotten I still had the hair-dye and red-hair extensions. It'll make it look like I'm wearing a rat-tail. It's got 3 good uses in it. I can use it one more time. Now, for clothing…' He forgot Sai could hear his thoughts and had begun to ramble. Once he'd finished dying his hair and adding the pony tail, he returned the can under the counter and stealthily got back to his room.

Sliding the closet door open, Hikaru leapt inside, aiming for the back. As Sai glanced in behind his host, he shook his head. Your closet's an absolute mess. How do you find anything? he asked, aghast. No wonder you never let me in here. I'd get lost forever.

Hikaru popped up from the bowls of a pile of clothing. 'Hey, stop being such a drama queen!' he demanded with a huff. He dove back into the eternal darkness of clothing, only bursting back up after another ten minutes of searching. 'Got 'em!' he cheered, lifting up an olive green Clarkson sweatshirt, tan cargo pants, and a pair of red and black tennis shoes. 'Mom likes to buy me a lot of clothes that are too big for me, but these were so big I never wore 'em and for got I even had them.' He explained as he changed.

Leaving the confines of the closet, he checked himself in the mirror. "Hmm…I feel like I'm missing something…" He left once more and returned in seconds with a tan baseball cap. 'Got it!' he said in a sing-song voice, placing the cap on his head. 'Now, to the Con!'

Yay!! Sai cheered, following Hikaru back out the window. He shoved his backpack under the bush outside his window, placed his wallet in his sweatshirt, and returned downtown.

'I win. Most the guys here are old geezers,' Hikaru thought, beginning to regret his decision to come. He had to admit he was he was taken aback by the fact that there were any teenagers there, but there were still few and they were far between.

Huffing, Sai turned up his nose. Go is a life long game.

'Meaning it takes a life time to learn to like.'

Hikaru!! Sai began flailing about, swinging his arms and fan in a frenzied motion.

Even though Sai's attack didn't actually physically hurt him, the cold feeling he got when the ghost went through him gave Hikaru the chills. 'All right, all right. I was just teasing you. So, what do you wanna do first?'

Sai glanced around thoughtfully. Oou! There is a gather of people over there, he suggested, pointing to the spot with his fan.

Following the point, Hikaru managed to make out a sign that said 'Internet'. The rest of the sign was blocked by taller persons, but it was obvious they were advertising internet Go. He waltzed up to the back of the group, glancing over the shoulders of the shorter people in the audience.

"So, after you create your username, click on your country of residence – in this case, Japan. It's shortened to JPN on Igo. Then, you can challenge others or be challenged. You can even customize your game on time, handicap, rule set…" The attendant continued, but it all went in one ear and out the other for Hikaru. Eventually, he migrated over to one of the computers out for a demo.

"So…Igo, huh?" He opened a new window and joined the Igo community. 'Let's see, a username…How 'bout Sai?' he asked with a smile.

Sai agreed and he typed it in. 'Japan of course. Password…Okay. So I open up a board. 9x9, 13x13, or 19x19?'

Well…I would like to see the rest of the Go convention. Let's play a swift 9x9 board. Sai suggested.

Hikaru acquiesced and clicked a 9x9 board with the regularly allotted Byo Yomi time amount. Japanese rule set with 5.5 komi and they were set. 'I wonder what the ? after Sai means,' he thought as they waited for an opponent. 'Geez it takes awhile to-Hey! Here we go!' Their challenge was accepted by WoWfan35 23k. It was fifteen minutes of learning the way the system worked before WoW resigned to Sai's almighty power.

'Good job, Sai! You won!'

I've been playing for over a thousand years, Hikaru. Did you really believe I wouldn't?

Shrugging with an apologetic smile, Hikaru replied with a, 'Well…I couldn't be sure.' He logged off; ignoring the comment WoW sent him. When he turned around, he found a chart behind the man running the stand. "Wait…so the question mark after my name meant I wasn't ranked?" he asked.

"Yes," the attendant spoke. "When you begin you are unranked. As you play ranked games you can become higher or lower ranked. With the k rank you want a lower rank. A 1k then becomes a 1d, which is like a Sho-dan. Then, it is like the rankings of the pros."

"Thanks," Hikaru said half-heartedly, rolling his eyes at the explanation. He could have figured that out. He turned his back on the worker with a slight wave of his hand and continued to the book stands. Under Sai's suggestion he bought a collection of Honin'bou Shuusaku's kifu, or game records, and The Beginner's Book of Go. He had been tempted to grab a book written by his father, but decided against it. The less he could attach himself to the Meijin, the better.

'So, we got what we wanted. Ready to leave, Sai?' he asked, managing to squeeze the books within his front pocket.

Wait Hikaru! Look, look, look! Sai burst out, pointing to the stage. Even after two hours Ashiwara was still analyzing Ogata's game, however the golden-haired pro was absent from the stage.

Sai stared intently at the game, nodding occasionally with Ashiwara, and shaking his head at a few of the younger pro's comments. Meanwhile, Hikaru was glancing around, trying to find the white-clad pro. He was starting to understand why his teammates were so easily spooked. When you were trying to avoid him, his face came to mind with a sinister gleam in his eyes and a knife behind his back.

No…white should have played at 4-7, there…Sai muttered, clearly disappointed with Ashiwara's analysis.

Curious, Hikaru walked up beside Sai and next to a younger member of the audience. Although Hikaru paid the teenager no attention, he was not treated in the same manner and was being ogled. "4-7?" Hikaru asked, still not seeing it. To him, the entire board was a jumble of large white and black cardboard cut outs on a massive 19x19 grid.

"What was that?"

Fighting the almost undeniable urge to jump, Hikaru turned his head slightly at the familiar voice. "Uh, white…4-7," he said quickly, trying vainly to deepen his voice.

The blue eyes squinted at the board, and Ogata noticed his mistake. The red-headed youth was correct. At the same time, a pair of hazel eyes also glanced up at the grid, taking in the new perspective. "T-that's brilliant…" he murmured to himself, rising to get a better look at the boy in the cap.

Feeling like a caged bird, Hikaru suddenly burst into action and ran frantically through the crowds, attempting to get away from Ogata and that boy. 'Sai, this isn't good!' Sai said nothing, but pursed his lips. He would have preferred to continue to enjoy the analysis, but Hikaru had laid down only two conditions and to stay would be to impede on his rules.

Whilst Hikaru ran frantically and randomly, Ogata and the naturally red-haired Go player took a much more logical approach to the chase. "Isumi!" the red-haired whispered to his raven haired friend. "You catch the backdoor, I'll watch the front." The much taller boy agreed and ran to the back door. The smaller of the two ran towards the front, unaware that he was being followed by a swift footed blonde.

Once at the entrance, the hazel eyes scanned the area for any sign of the punk from earlier. Ogata materialized as if out of thin air to the younger Go player's left and joined the scan.

Unfortunately, Hikaru had no knowledge of a back entrance and barreled towards the front, only to find the two people he was trying to avoid. It was too late, though, and he continued forward. He starred intently at the scene until it appeared in slow-motion, trying to find an opening. Using his soccer reflexes and natural ability, Hikaru found the opening he was looking for.

"Ahh!" he yelled, running right between the two of them. As he expected, their reflexes caused them to swing their arms towards his head. He leaned backwards and was soon skidding across the entry way on the sides of his shoes. He nearly broke his arm, falling to close to the cement ground, but he managed to recover and start running towards the entrance.

The secretary from earlier looked lazily as two Go players and a Soccer star raced through the lobby at out the front door. "Have a nice day," she said lazily, returning to her magazine.

Outside, Hikaru got the advantage he needed. He dodged between the hoards of pedestrians and used his acceleration to lose the other two in the crowd. He ran all the way, not trusting the subway to return him in time to beat Ogata and his sports car. Not that it was likely that Seiji would be dropping by, but by this point, Hikaru was getting paranoid. Of course anyone could see through that disguise, right?

When he reached home, Hikaru hid in within the branches of the bush by his room, taking a few minutes to catch his breath before leaning his forehead on his knees, his breathing growing deeper by the second. 'Sai…that was way too close.' His mom was out for groceries and he washed the dye out and changed without any parental intervention.

The rest of his week was spent keeping a low profile. The only time he could be caught with Go nearby outside of work was late at night when he and Sai would take turns reading the books they'd bought out loud. Sai would study Shuusaku's kifu while Hikaru did his homework, and they would both learn the basics of Go before bed. They never managed to read much before Hikaru would doze off, though. In the morning he'd always apologize and promise to read more the next week. For now, just thinking about the Kaio game on Friday was enough to tire him out.

Unfortunately, Friday came too quickly.

Go, Hikaru! C'mon, you can do it! Sai cheered. He was at a slight loss as to what was happening, but he understood the jest of the game. It was the first time he had been able to watch Hikaru battling in an actual match. It was much more thrilling then sitting on the sidelines during Haze practice. The score was tied, 1-1, but that was only due to luck. The game was far from over, and Haze was already growing tired while Kaio kept cycling through their endless supply of players.

"Time out!" cried the Haze coach. Kaio hustled off the field while Haze was more at the pace of a shuffle. "C'mon, guys, we can do this! It's all tied up and our ball. We need another goal! I don't care who or how, but we need another goal, got it?" he tried to phase around and stare intently at all the players, but it was obvious he hesitated at Hikaru. Some of the older players started to become restless, but they remained where they were and stayed silent.

Shinaka, the captain, looped his arms around the shoulders of the teammates next to him. They, in turn, looped their arms around the players next to them and soon the entire team was in a circle. "C'mon, Haze, FIGHT!!" Shinaka shouted.

"FIGHT, HAZE, FIGHT!!" they shouted in return and the stands grew wild.

"LET'S GET OUT THERE AND KILL THEM!"

"YEAH!!" They collapsed back into individual players, but each could feel the imprint of the supporting arms of their teammates.

"Let's do this…" Hikaru smirked, glaring back at his already glaring opponent. 'I'll get a goal no matter what it takes…' The wind whipped his hair out of the way, nearly covering the sound of the whistle, but his body instinctively took over.

-"Pass!"

-"Cover!"

-"Fall back!"

The communication continued and the team reacted as one. Before long they had stolen the ball and were dribbling and passing up the middle. Hikaru swung behind number three and caught the pass the other had missed. "Eat this!" he yelled, swinging at the ball and slamming it right through the hand of the Kaio goalie. His upper body swung around, but his toes remained where they were for a moment. It wasn't long, but he nearly fell to the ground as the pain seared through his foot before fading.

"What?" He looked down but nothing seemed to be wrong with it. He shook his head and cleared his mind, running back to the Haze side of the field for defense. Now they were up, 2-1 and they would have to guard that lead with their lives.

"Get back on D!" the coach yelled from the bench. "Get back on D!"

As he waited for the ball to be fetched and placed on the half line, Hikaru turned his gaze to the audience. It was the finals for the Spring Tournament and as usual, Akiko was sitting in the bleachers, waving and cheering while munching on popcorn. Next to her, as always, was the usually sour-faced Ogata. Considering the lack of emotion, he was no doubt proud of the goal, even if he also did not understand the game. However, this year there was a new spectator, Sai. He stood beside his mother and Ogata, jumping around yelling and cheering like the parents that usually annoyed him. Oddly enough, when the cheering was for him, he kind of liked it.

His focus returned to the field as the referee backed away from the ball, whistle balanced precariously between his teeth. Fweet! With the whistle, the game continued. The ball was sliced to the side and picked up by a charging striker. Kaio expertly weaved between Haze's first line of defense. With passing and fancy foot work, they also managed to pass the midfielders and create an opening in the full-backs. Thirty-two hooked the ball, but it came off oddly and the Haze goal keeper jumped up and snatched it out of the air.

"Touya!" he called, running up and punting it across the field.

Even without the warning, Hikaru was bolting down the field, chasing the falling ball. At the last moment, he twisted about, feeling the pain shooting up his left leg once more and he squinted. He almost missed the ball, but he trapped it within his body and passed it off.

Haze charged forward and was knocked back a few times, only for the mid-fielders to back them up and keep the forward momentum. "SHOOT!" Came the cry of the audience and number three attempted the goal, but it was blocked and the crowd collectively sighed.

GO HIKARU!! Sai cried. GO LEFT!…Or, right! Shoot!

Hikaru shook his head and passed the ball instead, his foot beginning to become a real bother. 'S-Sai…not now. Please, just stick to cheering, not advice, please!' he called in his mind, the pain staring to hinder his game. He didn't need the advice befuddling his common sense. He needed a real opening. "Hirose! Cover me!" Hikaru yelled, charging in.

At first, Hirose helped him cut through the defense with ease. The striker was large and dangerous looking. He was not one to be messed with. However, without warning, Hirose suddenly turned away, leaving Hikaru open for attack from the Kaio defense. "What the hell?!" was all he managed to cry before number two became prey. He tried dodging with fast foot-work and fakes, but he was soon cut off. Despite his protesting foot, his only choice was a hook shot.

He found a small opening in the circle of boys around him and squeezed out. He shot away from the groping arms and hands and slammed another of his famous hook shots, twisting around as he had before, only this time he ate dirt. "GOAL!" came the cry from the stands as the whistle's shrill tweet joined, confirming the shot.

"Go, Touya, go!" chanted the audience. They cheered their hero, willing him to stand. "Go, Touya, go!"

Still, Hikaru remained on the ground, attempting to crawl with only his hands. Hikaru! Sai cried, instantly at his host's side. He did not have the medical background to know what was wrong, but they were so closely tied he knew it involved splitting pain in his left leg; namely in the foot. Hikaru, are you going to be all right?

Truthfully, Hikaru tried to shrug but ended up shuttering as tears came to eyes. "Dammit," he muttered as the pain stung at his mind and his leg grew numb.

The referee whistled a timeout and the Kaio players hurried back to the bench while the Haze players, the coach, and even Akiko and Ogata hustled over Hikaru's unmoving form. "Touya, are you okay?" the coach inquired, falling to one knee.

"I dunno, Coach…It's my left foot…It's like…like I twisted my muscle or-oh, I don't know!" he said, exasperated and in pain.

The coach chewed his lower lip. "You may have ripped a tendon," he finally said, worry laced in every word.

While Hikaru started banging his forehead against the ground, Ogata fingered the car keys in his pocket. "Does he need to go to the hospital?"

Before the coach could even respond, Hikaru force himself to his knees. "No!" he said forcefully. "I'll just put some ice on it. I have to see this game to the end." His eyes burned, staring at Ogata as if daring the pro to object.

Instead, it was the coach who interjected. "There is no way you're going back out there."

"B-but Coach-" Hikaru's breath hitched. "It's the championship game…"

Sighing, the coach met halfway. He couldn't completely say no to those smoldering eyes. "I'll make a compromise. You can sit on the bench and watch the rest, but that's it. After the game you're going straight to the hospital, you got that? I'm not losing such a valuable player."

Nodding, tears threatened to burst once more, but now in happiness, not pain. "Yeah, Coach. I got it." With the help of his teammates, Hikaru limped off the field and the crowd clapped as he sat on the bench. Ice was administered and the game continued.

By half-time Kaio had gained another goal and brought the score to 3-2. Twenty minutes into the second half, Kaio scored another goal and the score was tied once more, 3-3. "Well…there goes Touya's lead…" muttered one of the benchwarmers, dejectedly.

Joining him, Hikaru also ducked his head. "Coach, couldn't I-"

"No."

"But, I just want to-"

"No."

"Please!" he implored. "All we need-"

"No, Touya!" the coach barked. He took a deep breath and stopped. "Look, Touya, you don't seem to realize how important you are…"

"Yes, I do!" Hikaru yelled back. "I can turn this game around! Please, just five minutes!"

The coach shook his head. "I'm not ending your Soccer dreams for just one game."

Gripping his hair in frustration, Hikaru barked back, "But this isn't just one game! This is the most important game of the season!" Calming down, he tried better reasoning. "Coach, I want this win more than anything. Please, I've wanted to beat Kaio since I was in elementary school. Please, it's my biggest goal!" he pleaded, no longer caring how pathetic he sounded. His dream was going down the drains and he was being forced to watch it drown when he could change the course of the game. He had been observing the Kaio line and found a fatal flaw on the left side. It would be an easy goal – if only, if only… "Coach?" he asked tentatively.

The older man's shoulder's drooped. "If you really want to that badly…switch with Hirose. I need to talk to him about defending his teammates…"

"Thank you coach! Thank you!" Hikaru tested his foot before kneeling by the scoring table. At the next whistle, he switched out with Hirose and took over the left side.

He immediately was asked more than once, 'Touya, are you sure you're okay?', only to brush them off with an, 'Of course'. The ball was thrown inbounds, and the game continued once again. Hikaru stayed father back than usual when the ball was taken down the field, still trying to adjust to the sore foot, but when the game was brought back up field he took over in a heartbeat.

Hikaru rushed down and back, falling in pace with the rest of the strikers and passing and dribbling like all the rest, although he played completely right footed, ignoring his left foot all together. Once again, number three attempted a goal, and once again he was rejected. The crowd ah-ed, but Hikaru ignored it completely, only looking for an opening.

Finally, it was his final chance to shine. "HIGH!" he called when the Haze goalie snatched up the ball once more. Consenting, he rushed the ball, farther up the field than usual and smashed the bottom of the ball sending it flying over the players' heads.

Dashing forward, Hikaru got into position to trap the ball, but defenders began to rush him. At a loss, he did the only thing that came to mind, taking Kaio by surprise. Hikaru leapt up, craned his head back, and crushed the ball with his forehead. It went reeling with surprising speed, strength, and spin. The ball sliced right past the goalie's hand and the ball ricocheted off the post and into the net. Fweet!!

At first, the whistled seemed to be for the goal, and the Haze fans went absolutely nuts as they cheered on the freshman ace. Slowly, though, the crowd went silent, seeing the ace on the ground for the second time that game. As before, the field was cleared, but this time, Hikaru did not lift his head. When he had landed, he instinctively fell on his left foot, sending a wave of pain through his body that his mind couldn't handle.

"Someone call an ambulance!" cried the coach, but Ogata merely picked up Hikaru in two arms and carried him to his sports car, laying him down on the leather interior of the back seat. Throughout the drive to the hospital, the worried look of fear never left Sai's mauve eyes as he clasped Hikaru's warm hand with his own transparent ones.

Okay, depending where you live will determine wheter this was on time or not. To be honest, most of this was written today since vacation's over and my dad's got me working like a dog. Still, I got it finished and I want to thank everyone for your support. You guys are awesome! I'll try to do better with the next chapter!!