Disclaimer: Unfortunatly, I don't own Hikaru no Go. I own my storyline, but that is all. :(

Hikaru, is a person who never knew that a grade existed above a C. This week, when he came home with his mid-term report, Shindo-san didn't expect anything more than a few grades raised from a F or a D to a C. She wasn't prepared for straight Bs. Sure, Hikaru had been talked to about his grades, and punished for them on occaision, but he usually just put in the work that he absolutely needed if he were to pass the grade.

It wasn't that Shindo-san did not see the recent change in Hikaru. She did. He had actually been doing his homework, and doing his chores. He said that he wanted money to go to a Go salon. A Go salon of all places! Shindo-san didn't even know that Hikaru liked that old man's game. 'Hikaru's grandfather must have said something to him. Heihachi (Hikaru's Grandpa) was always trying to teach them Go, and to 'show them the importance of Go.' He must have done something to get Hikaru so interested.

Meanwhile, Hikaru was on the way to a Go salon. Contrary to popular belief, he actually did like Go. He wasn't in it for the money, or anything. He just honestly and truly loved the game. He had just woken up one day in the hospital asking questions about Go and was very interested in it. Hikaru was quite proficient at the game too.

Hikaru handed the receptionist the 500yen. "Write your name and skill level here please." the woman at the desk told him.

Hikaru wrote down his name, but he paused when he came to the box for skill level. He looked up at the receptionist.

"If you don't know your skill level just leave it blank. Have you ever played in a salon before?" she asked suddenly.

"Once my grandpa took me to a go salon with him. I crushed him even though it was my first time playing." Hikaru responded. "Sometimes it is hard to believe that he won so many amatuer titles when he was young. Either the people he played were just bad go players, or he has let his game go."

"What is your grandpa's name?" the women asked. "I follow ametuor players as well as pros. I may have heard of him."

"His name is Heihachi Shindo. He is really old so you may not have heard of him."

"You are right. I haven't heard the name before. Sorry."

"It's alright." Hikaru's eyes scanned the room, searching for a person his age to play with. Sadly, his eyes found no one younger that fifty in the room, save for the receptionist and he.

"Do you play go?" Shindo asked, hoping that he wouldn't have to play one of those geezers.

"No, but I understand the basic concepts of it. I know that the people in this salon may seem kind of . . . aged, but they are capable of playing a solid game of go."

Hikaru was saved when a group of young boys came in. There were three of them. One had red hair that was wild and unruly. Another was short and smily. The last one was tall and mature looking. "We would like to play the three best in your salon in a team match. If we win the match then we don't have to pay the entrance fee, if we lose, we have to pay and wash the stones." The red haired one stated their rules.

Hikaru really wanted to play them, but he was afraid of making a fool of himself. One of the salon patrons pushed him foreward. "We are all busy playing our own games, he has just been standing around looking for someone to play." the customer said rudely.

"I also can't agree to that deal, sorry." said Itchikawa-san.

The mature one asked Hikaru if he was good. Hikaru said that he wasn't sure. "I have only played one game in my life, with my grandpa, but I crushed him." Hikaru told the kids. He did not tell them about his dream, about the many games he played in that dream.

"I know, Isumi should play all three of us at once." the short one said, refering to the tall one.

"At least I won't end up playing Fuku again. I wonder why I always lose to him." the one with red hair remarked.

The three way game was set up. "Please." they said in unison. And so the games began.

Isumi knew the playing style of Waya and Fuku, so their moves were easy to predict and counter. On the other hand, the other boy that he was playing, Shindo, was very unpredictable. Isumi had the feeling that even if he played a hundred games against Shindo, he wouldn't be able to forsee the boy's moves. Shindo's playing style was raw, like pure instinct for go. His moves were wild, but they made sense when you looked back at them later. It almost seemed as if he were reading farther ahead than anyone Isumi had played before.

It was a good game, but Isumi lost in the end. Shindo saw that coming halfway through the game and seemed much calmer afterwards. Waya (red hair) and Fuku (short) were flocking the scene. "How did you manage to beat Isumi-san the first time you played him?" Waya directed the question to Shindo.

"It was a good game." Shindo said. "You are really good at go. Why do you play?"

"Thank you," Isumi responded. "I am an insei, as are my friends, Waya and Fuku. I play go because it is fun and I enjoy it. I aim to be a pro someday, hopefully by next spring."

"What is an insei?" asked Hikaru.

Waya started getting angry. "How can you be so good at go and not know anything? Insei are children who study go and want to become professionals."

Hikaru figured that he shouldn't say that he didn't know that someone could play go professionally, much less as a child.

"How long have you been playing go?" Isumi asked Shindo.

"Two days." This reply caused quite the rukus among the insei.

"Most people would only know how to capture stone in basic tsumego after two days. How are you this good?" Waya yelled.

Waya's loud voice got all of them kicked out of the go salon. "Good going, Waya."said Shindo. "I wanted to play a quick match against one of the geezers."

"Wow, you are rude to your elders." commented Waya.

"Wow, you are rude to your peers." retorted Shindo. Hikaru's stomach suddenly growled. "I'm hungrey." he said obviously. "Let's go get some ramen."

Waya gagged. "No, that is the worst thing you could have suggested. Let's have sushi."

Now it was Shindo's turn to choke. "I hate sushi. I'd rather starve."

Isumi and Fuku stoped the bickering before it could get any worse. "Let's go to McDonalds instead. That way everyone's ok."

"Let's say, just for the sake of argument that I don't like burgers," started Shindo.

"You're insane." the others said in unison.

"Jeez," said Shindo, "I was just kidding."