Title: Teach Me

Summary: She was new, but she wanted to make her deceased grandfather proud and she began taking lessons with a boy around her age. She didn't expect to end up falling in love along with it.

Pairing: Akira/Kagome

Manga: Hikaru no Go/Inuyasha

Sighing, the almost thirteen-year-old walked down the streets of her hometown in Nihon. Her sorrow for losing her grandfather was weighing heavily on her shoulders, but her mind was set on one thing and one thing only. She wanted to learn how to play the game her grandfather had wanted to teach her, Go. She knew how to play shogi, but her grandfather had wanted to teach her Go so that she could understand the reason why he loved the game so much, and why he'd became a pro long ago, but never tried to do much else because he simply wished to play. He was gone now, and she didn't have anyone at her school that could teach her; she'd heard that some schools even had a Go club, but hers didn't and it had disappointed her to this.

Shifting the bag higher onto her arm, the girl lifted her eyes so that she could see the signs of the many different stores and other places. In her daze she barely noticed the place that she suddenly stopped in front of, her face turning into a smile as she looked up at the words, 'Go Salon'. She took a step forward, before sighing to herself, looking back down at the bag she was carrying. "Mom will want this," she muttered, "I'd better take it home before I do anything else." Her face turned into a deeper frown, before she said, "Then again—no, I'll just come back tomorrow."

She smiled to herself, turning from the place, before picking up her feet in order to begin jogging, instead of dragging her feet along like she had been. She had something to look forward to, since the sun was beginning to sink beneath the western horizon and she knew for a fact her mother wouldn't let her out for long after dark. Besides, from glancing at the schedule on the glass door it had said that the place closed an hour later, and would reopen at ten in the morning.

Giddy with happiness the girl dressed in black began moving home. She would be able to learn how to play the game that her grandfather had wanted her to, and she'd be able to play often since it was summer. She'd always wondered why her grandfather had such a passion for a game that was so old, but tomorrow she would start learning why. She just hoped that there was someone who'd be able to teach her—hopefully around her age, though she didn't mind elders—since she truly wanted to. Maybe she could even follow in her grandfather's footsteps one day!

Higurashi Kagome smiled, continuing to jog, before bringing herself into a run. Her feet felt almost like they were floating across the ground while the bag she carried thumped against her stomach as she stopped at street crossings, and raced passed alleyways, before she finally came upon the steps to the Sunset Shrine, another one of the many things that her grandfather had put all his heart and soul into. It would be one of the many other things that she would do in order to make his spirit proud of her, since she did look the shrine—it was the place she'd grew up at, after all.

Rounding that corner, Kagome bound up the steps, her feet taking each one in stride. She'd gone up and down them so many times that she could easily take them without trouble, and once she reached the top she raced across the cobblestone. From her position she could easily see the old well house, the ancient tree known as the Goshinbuko, the roof to the house, and the small gift shop that her grandfather had run. Every Wednesday she dressed up in miko garbs and ran the shop, but she felt that she would probably run it everyday that her grandfather had, which was four days out of every week.

She went around another corner; one that looked like it wasn't there because of the rose bushes that her mother had planted some time ago, before rushing up to the house. Once there she quickly slipped out of her shoes and placed them beside the others, before twisting the doorknob and going inside. Once inside she quickly moved into the kitchen and placed the bag onto the counter, before rushing to go back to the hallway and begin moving up the stairs.

"Kagome!"

Turning, Kagome looked around, before yelling, "Yes, mom?"

Mrs. Higurashi appeared in the hallway, before smiling at her daughter. Her short black hair bounced as she moved toward her, before asking, "What took you so long, Kagome? You were gone for quite some time. I know that you wouldn't do anything that I wouldn't do, but sometimes I worry what others might pressure you and Souta into doing."

Kagome laughed. "Oh, I just stopped outside of a small shop in order to look at a few things. Then I stopped to look at a Go Salon that in the middle of town."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled brighter. "You're planning to learn how to play Go?"

"Yes," Kagome said. "Grandpa wanted to teach me but I was always in school during the time when he first tried. I really didn't pay that much attention whenever he did tell me something, and I sort of wanted to learn now that he's gone." She lowered her eyes, a tear streaking down her cheek. She choked down a sob, "I-I-I really wish that I had paid attention to him."

Her mother sighed sadly, "We all have things that we should have done, Kagome. Don't feel bad ashamed that you didn't realize just how precious your time with him was." She moved up the stairs to her daughter's side, before lifting her hand to stroke her cheek. "Even I wish I had spent more time with him."

Kagome nodded, "Thanks mom."

Her dark clothing was hot against her skin as she walked back toward the Go Salon she'd seen the day before. Her tiger striped skirt swayed as she walked, before she came upon the street she wanted, the book was carrying in her hands, before she flipped a page. It was very interesting, and it was fun to learn something, even though she wished it were her grandfather who was teaching it to her, instead of a book at the moment. Reading the small note on the side of the page she smiled, "Hey, I can play Go on the Internet! Yay!" She sighed then, "I'll probably be beat by everyone. I have no idea how to play this game…"

Closing her eyes, Kagome allowed the book to drop until her arms were merely infront of her body. She knew she was close to the Go Salon, and she continued to move forward before she accidentally ran into someone. Stopping, Kagome suddenly brought her hands up in defense, "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She looked up to find a tall man staring down at her; before she remembered the game of Go her grandfather had been watching a week before his death.

"No harm done," the man said, his face seeming grim while he stared down at her.

She gasped, "You're Toya Meijin!"

He nodded, "Yes." He glanced down at her black clothing, before asking, "And you are?"

"Oh," Kagome bowed suddenly. "I'm so sorry. My name is Higurashi Kagome, sir."

He merely continued to stare, before saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Higurashi. However, I must be on my way."

"Yes," she nodded, "I understand. Please do not let me stand in your way." She stepped to the side, the book she was holding held tightly in her hand as she noticed he was staring at it. She blushed, knowing that this was one of Nihon's best Go players and she was merely a beginner. The only thing she'd actually understood when her grandfather tried to teach her a little was how to choose for color, and komi which gave white 5½ points at the end of the game, but other than that she knew nothing. Nothing; at least nothing that would be considered important while playing a game.

She watched him go, before she gulped. After watching him for a moment, however, she shook her head and turned to the Go Salon. Her feet moved, bringing her closer to the door, before she finally pushed it open, the glass cool against her fingers. Once inside she noticed that there were tables of people, mostly older people, playing on what her grandfather had called 19 by 19 point Go board. There was a desk with a smiling young woman leaning against it when the bell above her rang, before she stepped forward.

"Hello there," the woman said. Her light brown hair tilted to the side as she pointed to a clipboard on the desk. "You write your name down here," she said, before smiling brighter. "Are you new here?"

"Yes," Kagome said, clasping her hands around the book she held. She placed the book on the desk before writing her name down, signing where she was told to, before saying, "My grandfather wanted to teach me how to play… but he died before I could understand just how much he wanted to teach me. I was hoping to find someone who would teach me here… that's alright, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes," the woman said. "Anyone is welcome here. You'll just need to pay 500 yen; that's the price for youths." She gave a sad look when she heard that the girl's grandfather had died, and told her that she hoped his spirit rested in peace, before waiting for her to pay.

Kagome nodded, before pulling out the wallet that she carried. The pockets in her skirt weren't visible, but they were there and they were quite large. She pulled out the money, before handing it to the woman, and smiling once more. Once she'd paid she walked passed her, having picked up her book once more, before looking around at all the games. She knew that you should be quiet whenever you played any board game such as these, and kept her lips sealed as she moved around gazing at the different boards and watching as they played with each other. However, it was the only younger boy that caught her attention, as he played with an older male, and she was almost giddy to know that there was a person her age there.

She stood behind him, watching with interest as he placed stone after stone down. She noticed that you couldn't lift a stone once it was placed, and she forced herself to remember this while watching, before trying to understand his moves and how he captured his opponent's stones. She didn't understand some of the moves, and she sighed, lowering her head while the game continued, "I'll never understand this game."

The two players glanced up at her, and she quickly shut her mouth, bowing it in apology. However, she blushed when she heard the older man laugh, while the young man around her age merely smiled at her. Her blush became darker, and she quickly whispered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Its fine," the boy said. "Would you like to watch? Maybe that will help you understand better. Have you ever played before?" He turned back to the board, before pulling the seat next to him out, nodding for her to sit down. He waited until she had, before asking his question again.

"No," Kagome blushed. "I'm trying to learn, but I've never played against another person." She sighed, her shoulders slumping, "I barely understand anything about this game."

It was the older man who replied, placing a stone onto the board, "It takes lots of practice and hard work in order to completely understand anything. Akira-sensei here has been playing for a very long time, he could easily teach you anything that you wished to know about Go. He's taught me quite a lot, though I still can't play anything other than a teaching game with him. He's a lot better player than I am."

"A… teaching game?" Kagome asked, watching this Akira place another stone onto the board.

"Yes," Akira smiled. "It's a game that neither side is trying to win. The instructor places stones down and tries to make the student play the correct moves. You don't need to speak, since the moves usually do the talking, and it helps another person learn as they go."

"I knew that," Kagome blushed.

Akira laughed. He turned his head as the girl began to watch them play, before asking, "Are you new here? I've never seen you before."

"Yes. My grandfather wanted to teach me how to play Go a long time ago, but at that time I was learning shogi, so he decided to drop it. He tried to start teaching me about two months ago but I never really paid that much attention to him. He died a few days after summer break started and I decided that to honor him I'd play the game he loved so much. I've never actually played, though. I mean, I know a little about the game, but not a lot," Kagome sighed.

"I see," Akira said. "My name is Toya Akira. What is yours?"

"Higurashi Kagome," she replied. Something clicked into her head, before she said, "You're the son of Toya Meijin, aren't you?"

He blushed, nodding. He placed his hand behind his head, before scratching at the back of his dark head of hair. "Yes. How did you know?"

"Oh, well, I ran into him before I came—" Kagome groaned, lowering her head once more. Another dark blush swept across her cheeks, before she saw Akira's own and giggled a little. "I was sort of wondering why he'd been in here, but I guess I know the answer now."

"Toya Meijin comes in at least a few times a week in order to watch Akira-sensei play." The old man smiled, "I bet he's wondering why you haven't taken the pro test yet, Akira-sensei! That's probably why he comes in so much."

"You're going to become a pro one day?" Kagome asked.

"Yes," Akira nodded. "I want to become just as strong a player that my father is." He waited for his opponent to make a move, before placing down another stone. He saw that the girl was staring at his hands, and snapped the stone down. When he glanced back up he saw that her eyes were almost glowing and got the feeling that she might be a very skilled opponent one day if she came to understand Go and learned how to play.

"I want to become as good as my grandfather was," Kagome said. "He was a pro, too. I don't know if he ever played in any really important tournaments, but I want to become a pro if I can ever come to understand Go."

"Well," the old man said. "At least you kids have goals nowadays. All my grandson wishes to do is sit in front of a TV screen and press buttons on that video game system that his mother bought." He sighed, "If only he would have such an interest in Go. I'd be delighted to teach him a thing or two."

Kagome laughed a little, "My brother is the same way."

The old man stood quite suddenly, staring down at the board, before saying, "I believe I've had enough for today, Akira-sensei. I hope to play with you again sometime soon, but I must be off now."

"Yes, of course," Akira smiled, nodding his head in agreement. He cleared the board, before turning his attention to the girl sitting next to him. "Would you like to play? I could play a teaching game with you, or I could teach you how to capture stones and such."

"Yes, I would love to," Kagome nodded. "Um, I was wondering how you snapped the stones down the way you did? It was quite interesting to watch and I'd love to be able to do that as well."

Akira's smile brightened, "Its not that hard. You just hold it between your pliant fingers and release it above the board by snapping it down." He grabbed the bowl of black stones, before saying, "Here, why don't you try?"

"Alright," Kagome said. She picked the stone up, placed it between her fingers and tried to snap it down only for it to fall from between her fingers. She tried again only for it to seem to bounce against the point on the board Akira had pushed toward her and to clatter onto another spot. After a few times of this, she snapped one against the table and watched it suddenly slide across the table and hit another board, only for her to blush. "I suck," she whispered, "I'll never get this right."

Akira laughed, "Its not that hard. Here, watch." He picked another stone up, before holding it above the board and quickly snapping it down, his finger directly in the middle in order to keep it from moving anywhere else. He smiled at her, watching as she tried again, only to fail. "It only takes a bit of practice, but I'm sure that you'll get it in a couple of days, maybe a week at the most.

"Here, why don't we try something else?" He eyed the book she had placed into her lap, before reaching his hand out to grasp it. Once it was within eye level he placed it onto the table, and said, "Why don't we see if you can capture stones in a certain amount of moves?"

"Ok."

Placing the stones down one by one, switching between black and white, Akira looked toward her, before saying, "Here. This one will only capture one stone, but it only takes one move. Now, how would you capture the stone without moving the stone that might be captured."

"Hm," she sighed. "You'd place another white stone here, wouldn't you?" she asked, placing the white stone so that it had four surrounding it. She saw Akira nod, before clapping her hands together. However, she blushed and stopped when he smiled at her, before saying, "It'll get harder though, won't it?"

"Yes," Akira laughed.

They continued this, before finally Kagome stood after glancing at her watch. She smiled at the dark haired boy, before saying, "Thank you, Akira. I would love to learn more tomorrow if you're here, but I must go now. My mother will get quite upset if I'm out for too long."

He nodded, "Yes, I'd be happy to teach you, Kagome."

Years later Kagome stood behind him as he played, once again, against Shindo Hikaru. She'd entered the Go Salon, having gone there for years and now going on the age of nineteen, and walked over to find that Akira was once again playing against Hikaru, still trying to achieve the 'Divine Move'. It was said that though Toya Meijin had not managed to play the move before his accident that his son, or Shindo Hikaru would be one of the ones to play the move. Now was not the time for memories, though, and she sighed as she watched the game, knowing that though Akira had grown stronger and stronger that Hikaru was just… just… he was one of the greatest Go players of their time, and Akira tried again and again, but she wasn't sure if he'd ever beat Hikaru.

She stood silently, watching the game before Akira placed his head onto his hand when he situated his elbow onto the table. "I resign," she heard him say, before smiling sadly. She heard Hikaru give Akira a compliment about his increasing strength, before he stood and nodded to her, before she watched him leave. After he was gone, though, she moved around the table and sat before the game.

"You lost again, huh, Akira?" she whispered. She watched as his head snapped up to her, before he nodded. "Don't let that get you down, Akira. After all, you beat Hikaru nearly every three out of fives times," she stopped when he raised his hand.

"He holds back whenever I beat him, though," Akira sighed. "No matter what I do he always end up getting to a level beyond mine."

He looked up to her sad smile, before sighing, "That was rude of me. How have you been lately, Kagome?"

Laughing, Kagome replied, "I am fine, Akira. I don't know why you ask me that. You saw me the other day. Besides," her smile changed to a seductive one, "its not like we're away from each other very often, my love."

Akira laughed, "Sometimes I fear it was a mistake to marry you, Kagome."

The golden band on her finger glinted in the lighting, before she giggled, "Well, you're stuck with me now."

Akira eyed her affectionately, "Where did I go wrong, Kagome?"

She smiled brighter, "When you first started teaching me, Akira!"

--Fin

Kiba's Note: Ah! I forgot to mention this: 500 yen is around $4.25 in American dollars. I'm not sure what it is now since the price range might have highered or lowered, but it should be around $4.25 if I remember correctly. Sorry about that, I was going to put it after I wrote '500 yen!'