The rather tense and dark silence shrouded the room. Hikaru shifted nervously in his seat, eyes glancing from person to person. He had finished the story up to Sai's disappearance, and no further. He wasn't sure how exactly this should be proceeded, and the daunting and terse silence around him made him anxious.

'What if they want to leave? What if they think I'm completely insane for believing this and that I should be committed or something? It really isn't all that bad, is it? And…it's not like the rest of the go pros have all their screws in place…'

Hikaru took a deep breath. 'What's the worst that can happen? …Maybe they'll call the police or something. That would be bad. What if they decide that I'm completely mental, and lock me up? What is they say they never want to see me again?'

"I never want to see you again!" Waya proclaimed loudly, and Hikaru's heart stopped. Waya had opened his mouth to continue, but two sets of deadly glares – one frosty and one frigid – stopped him in his tracks.

"Hikaru," Akira began, voice soft.

"Waya!" Isumi-san cried out at the same time, voice colored with disapproval.

"What? How dare he think that we'd abandon him because of such a stupid reason? Is that why you ran away? If it is, I'm going to beat you up! How could you think so little of us?"

The icy atmosphere lifted a few degrees. Akira's dark eyes were still firmly affixed on Waya, waiting for a wrong move to throw him out though.

Hikaru's heart started beating again, and he let out a rather relieved sigh. "As if I would let you do such a thing," Hikaru retorted, though all present – except Waya… – had seen the vividly present flash of fear in his eyes.

And that didn't exactly endear him to Akira's heart.

"Hikaru, perhaps you should go back to sleep."

He was immediately shot an incredulous look. "Sai, do you know what time it is?"

The long-haired man stood up, and headed towards the window, much to the bemusement of the people that lived with him – who were used to it – and the puzzlement of the guests. The elegant man stuck his head out the window, and looked up at the sky. "I would say that it is about…four o'clock."

Waya checked his watch. "Four thirteen. Why didn't you just check the clock?" he asked, pointing at the small clock resting on one of the tables pushed to the side of the room.

Sai blinked. "How would that contraption help me in understanding what time it is?"

Hikaru snickered, but grinned. "Does this sort of back up my theory? Clocks weren't invented in the Heian era, and Sai is more…comfortable with the way he was taught things regarding some matters. Besides, isn't it cool?"

Sai's pale cheeks tinged pink at the scrutinizing looks he received. "It's…really nothing. The position of the sun is what tells you what time it is."

Isumi-san nodded knowingly. "It is indeed a very useful skill, Fujiwara-san."

Sai smiled in return. "Thank you."

"Wait a minute. You're telling me that this guy," Ko Yeongha jerked his thumb towards Sai, "is actually a noble from the Heian era that was also the emperor's go teacher. And then was the go player behind Honinbou Shuusaku, and later on 'haunted' you for two years. And now he's living in your house, magically restored as a human?"

"Yup!" Hikaru beamed, and Akira resisted the urge to put his head into his arms at Hikaru completely missing the heavy sarcasm behind it.

"Right~." Before Yeongha could continue that thought, Suyon quickly began tugging at his older friend.

Emotions flying through him, Suyon could only nod politely at his hosts. "If you would please give us some time to think about this, that would be very kind."

Akira smothered a scowl and a worried look, schooling his face into impassiveness. "Of course."

"Yeah, take as long as you need," Hikaru said, sounding whimsical. A bit of Akira's worry must have shown through though, for the semi-blond boy turned to his friend and smiled brightly before turning back to his guest. "Would you two like to sleep on this too?" Hikaru asked.

"Please," Isumi-san answered quietly.

Hikaru merely nodded, feeling a myriad of emotions and feelings on rampage. "Thanks for coming."

"Thank you for having us."

By now most of the houseguests had vacated, and only Waya was left. "Shindou…"

"Yes?" Hikaru questioned, tucking a long strand of hair out of his eyes.

"I believe you." He softly closed the door behind him.

Neither Akira nor Sai missed the little glint of a falling tear, despite how much Hikaru tried to hide it. "You know, Akira," Hikaru's voice remaining steady despite his tumultuous feelings, "I think I will go lie down for a while after all."

He stood up, and promptly stumbled. Akira's hands were already reaching for him, Sai just seconds behind him, but Hikaru managed to straighten himself. "Sorry, I tripped."

Hikaru quickly left, though both of those left behind could see that Hikaru's gait seemed to be odd for some reason. 'Could this be physically affecting him, this emotional high?' Akira asked himself. 'That wouldn't seem really reasonable with normal … but then again, Hikaru never has been normal, and I suppose that dexterity can decrease because of emotional turmoil.'

Shaking himself out of his contemplations, Akira moved to follow his friend. To his surprise, he was stopped by a go calloused hand. "Let him be for a bit. Hikaru will need to sort this out by himself, and he will see their perspective in a bit," Sai said quietly. "Hikaru's smart, despite how he might act at times, and he just needs time to overcome the emotionally attached part of him that's afraid of being abandoned by his friend. Once he manages to do that, he should understand why they did what they did."

Akira sighed, knowing that the older man was right. Logically, it was definitely not wrong to ask for some time to process it, but Hikaru's mind had probably taken it was rejection simply because of the fears that Akira knew he had been harboring ever since he started with the first confession to the Touya. It was an irrational fear on Akira's part, but he knew that the amount of psychological courage it took to profess the secrets he had been keeping for so long.

"You know, for all Hikaru's bravado, he can be sensitive at times," Akira sighed.

Sai nodded, his dark strands of hair rustling at the movement. "I know. I shadowed him for two years, remember? I know he'll come around soon, and Hikaru's always been an independent soul. Though I supposed go has changed him, whether it be his maturity level and way of thinking or the bonds he has made."

"He was thirteen when he ran away," Akira contemplated. "I couldn't imagine secluding myself so thoroughly and not being completely devastated by the loneliness, however aloof a figure others might see me as." It was odd that Touya Akira would say so much about himself except to Hikaru, but their mutual worry for a friend had bonded Akira and Sai together, at least for the moment.

"But I suppose he was forced to grow up faster than most children."

Sai winced. This last comment was a barb that the man couldn't ignore. It appeared that despite the fact Touya was willing to talk about Hikaru and put aside their differences, his dislike of Sai had not evaporated in the least.

"Either way, I believe that Hikaru is still rather vulnerable, or at least emotionally stunted to certain degrees," Akira murmured softly.

"What do you mean?" Sai asked, eyes growing wide.

"…I was a rather peculiar child, wasn't I?"

Sai didn't know how to answer that.

"You know, Hikaru's always telling me that I'm antisocial and everything, but there's part of me that sort of worries about him."

"I don't understand," Sai admitted. He had no idea how Akira's taciturn nature connected with Hikaru's brightly shining one, or at least in the matter the younger male was implying.

"Before go, and the Haze Go Club, do you know of the people that were acquainted with Hikaru?"

Sai's eyes widened in understanding at the point Akira was addressing.

"You don't think…"

"Perhaps I am overthinking this because of worry," Akira said. "But…well, have you ever heard of him mention anyone as a close childhood friend besides Fujisaki-san? Sure, they were close, in a way, but Hikaru doesn't seem like someone who would spend all his time with a female, though I'm not trying to be discriminatory in the least. And though it appeared he has a good relationship with his parents, they were just sort of in the sidelines at a young age simply because of Hikaru's interest in something completely foreign to him, right?"

Sai nodded slowly. "So you're saying," he said, lowering his voice, "that Hikaru is probably clinging to the friends he has made and is sort of emotionally fragile despite his outgoing nature."

"Perhaps. I could be drastically overthinking things out of my worry," Akira confessed. "And I'm not saying that the Shindou family did anything wrong. Shindou-san, his mother I mean, was very involved in him, from what I've heard. Until he started going into the go world. She still clearly wanted to be, but I've seen parents that are unable to comprehend that their children are professionals. That, and Hikaru seemed to learn go out of nowhere, and took to it very well."

"My mother was actually sort of like that. Don't get me wrong, she's the best mother I could hope for, but she wasn't completely able to understand my obsession with the game. I suppose that's why a go player's life can sometimes be lonely. She's supportive and extremely caring of both my father and I, but she just isn't able to fully…understand my dedication to this, I suppose."

"And you were wondering if Hikaru's life was similar to that, and that's why he was so deeply affected by the thought of someone leaving him," Sai finished, eyes sad. "I…honestly don't know if that's what's going on with Hikaru, but…"

"The length he's going to in order to keep those around him safe is astounding," Akira murmured darkly, eyes glancing towards Sai before fixating on the floor again.

Sai blinked at this, and stored this memory in the 'to be examined at a later date' part of his brain.

Akira got up, of the position on the floor that he had fallen into when Sai stopped him from going after Hikaru. "Whatever his reasons are, I know it'd hurt him deeply if they didn't at least try to understand." He frowned. "I have a teaching game today, later in the afternoon. I…want to stay with Hikaru, but I know he'd reject that idea immediately. So…take care of him, please. I should be back in time for dinner, I'll pick something up on the way back."

Sai nodded. "Thank you, Touya-kun."

Akira didn't say anything for a moment. The poignant silence hung heavily in the air for a moment before Akira started heading towards the door, reaching for his coat. "Don't let him cook. It's unusual that he's willing to rest, even if it is to sulk. Keep him from going completely into a fog, but don't let him try to do anything. His mind will be too worried about the others' reactions to remember to be careful, and I don't want him to accidentally burn or cut himself In an attempt to cook dinner."

"Of course," Sai answered. "Take care, and I'll make sure he doesn't do anything reckless." The older man gave his own sigh, feeling helpless.

Akira briskly said, "My cell phone number is on the refrigerator. Please pick up the phone," Akira gestured to it, "and push in the numbers should anything dire come up."

The straight haired teen paused. "Fujiwara-san, I won't let anything hurt Hikaru. It doesn't matter what is doing so, I will protect him."

He left on that statement, and Sai sat there for a moment. He wanted to ask Hikaru what was going on, and what Touya Akira's ambiguous comments meant. He wanted to know why Hikaru seemed to be pulling away from Sai despite the initial elation at his reappearance. He wanted to know what was ailing Hikaru, and why. Most of all, he wanted to know what was disturbing him.

But asking now would merely further worry the semi-blond, and that was the last thing that Sai wanted to do.

He missed the closeness they used to share.

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Hikaru winced, shifting his weight as he sat tucked up against the wall, leafing through a book of kifu. His legs felt sort of numb before, but now the previously dull pains had begun alternating with sharp stabs. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but his gut told him that this would probably become less and less pleasant as it progressed.

Still, there was no reason to worry the others. It was infrequent that the dull pains intensified, and they usually went away soon enough. Besides, the alternative…Hikaru shook his head and sighed, then grimaced again as it felt like white hot needles were poking into him. Slowly, he stood up, legs shaking slightly at the effort. Pausing and listening carefully, he walked over to a small dresser with several drawers after he heard no one.

Shifting carefully through the mounds of clothes that were folded semi-neatly, he came across a small pill container, buried below several dress shirts that he almost never touched. Picking up the half-drunk bottle of water that Hikaru had used before, he glanced towards the door again. Still no one.

Opening the cap and dropping a pill into his hand, Hikaru quickly swallowed it, leaving two left in the bottle. Drinking some water, the semi-blond sighed softly. 'I'll have to pick up more of them. I'll need to find some time to, without Akira or Sai finding out. I can just see Akira chewing me out for not telling him that I ended up filling that prescription anyways. In fact, I don't want him to find out about the treatment that the doctors tried to recommend either. If I thought the initial conversations were unpleasant, this will be at least one hundred times as worse.'

Tucking the pill bottle back into the drawer, Hikaru sat still for a few moments, feeling the quick acting drug rushing through his bloodstream. Well, figuratively. The sharp pains dulled back into a persistent ache, and Hikaru nodded in satisfaction. Standing up, he leaned back into the wall that he had claimed again, continuing to leaf through the book of old kifu. He slowly slid down to his knees, and then sat down.

The speed of the progression of the ailment worried Hikaru a bit. Not because it was advancing quickly, but actually because the onsets of the new symptoms were actually occurring at an extremely slow pace. Or, at least, slower than he would have expected, especially after the dire warnings given by the god of go.

Sighing, Hikaru felt his mind drifting from the go kifu again, something quite uncharacteristic of him. 'The conversation I had before is worrying me,' Hikaru thought. 'But I suppose it's for the best if they leave. I don't want to involve anyone else in this, not with my future uncertain. I don't … I don't want to hurt anyone. Sai is bad enough, and Akira is probably worse off, with the amount of emotion he's invested in me…'

Still, Hikaru was very well aware that Akira would follow through with the threats that he had made about what would happen to the semi-blond should he try to run. That, and Hikaru wasn't sure what Sai would do.

Sai. Hikaru missed him…not in the bitterly aching, sanity dissolving, unbearable pain that he experienced when Sai first disappeared, but more of a bittersweet longing and a sadness at the distance that had grown between them. He knew that Sai was probably bored at home alone with him, and with the games that he was forced to play as a shodan (first dan) pro. Not only that, but Hikaru knew that between Akira and Sai, they had devised some sort of schedule so that most of the time at least one of them was home with him.

Hikaru frowned. He hated how Sai wasn't able to do what he really wanted to – go – simply because of Hikaru. He didn't like how it seemed that he was holding his two friends back. He didn't like how he wasn't able to play challenging go with anyone but his two companions anymore – or, at least, challenging go that involved the comforting pachi sounds of go stones hitting the board.

He still played often on his laptop when he had time, and he was making quite a name for himself on the web – though not as world shattering as 'sai'. Still, there was just something about staring at your opponent across the board, the sounds of go around you, the feeling of the stones held in your hand, and it was that that Hikaru missed.

Still, there was nothing that he could do about it. It was bad enough that the Meijin – 'Ex-Meijin,' his mind supplied – knew about his whereabouts, though that was probably inevitable since Akira was his son. And it was worse that he managed to bump into four of the people he knew because of go in the relatively short time he'd been back in the city. It was almost worse that so many people knew the secret he shared with Sai, though he was rather certain no one would say anything about it.

'And I haven't even told them about the more mystifying part of the story either,' Hikaru thought wryly. 'Then again, not even Sai knows…Akira's the only one who really has any idea what's going on.'

And he definitely didn't plan on telling Sai. After all, that'd just make the other man worry, and Hikaru was dead set against the older man having anything to worry about but go – not that he really worried about go at all, especially at the dan level he was currently forced to stay at.

Huffing, irritated, Hikaru stood up again, wobbling slightly before steadying. Glancing at the clock he noticed that he had wasted around three hours, lazing around and, as Akira had said before, 'contemplating the technicalities of life'.

"Seven," Hikaru murmured aloud to himself. "Dinner, I suppose. Akira should be back soon." Walking in an uneven gait that was quickly straightened, he opened the door and stepped out into the hall.

"Sai?"

The man called materialized in a manner that made Hikaru blink. 'I thought he could only do that when he was a ghost…'

"Yes, Hikaru?"

"What do you want for dinner? I'll whip something up, and it should be done around the time that Akira gets home," Hikaru explained.

"No."

Hikaru blinked at Sai's abrupt answer. It was unlike the other man to not think about his words, and to be so to the point, Hikaru wondered what was going on with him. "Uh…as in, no, you don't have a preference to what I'm going to cook?"

Sai frowned heavily, which was uncharacteristic enough for the happy-go-lucky man that Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "Are you all right, Sai?"

"Touya-kun—"

Hikaru winced.

"—advised me to prevent you from undertaking strenuous tasks. Especially cooking. He told me that he'd bring something home for us, and that for you not to worry about it."

The telephone ringing interrupted the duo's conversation, and Sai started for the contraption. "Pick it up, put it to my ear, and then talk into the weird dotted part of it…"

Hikaru grinned. "I'll answer it, Sai," he said, before bounding – gingerly, something that escaped Sai's notice in his mechanical technology pondering state – towards the phone. "Hello?"

"Hikaru?" It was Akira's voice that rang clearly through the connection.

"Yes? You're not back yet?" Hikaru asked, glancing again at a nearby clock. Akira's teaching games usually only lasted an hour or two, and the other teen had a tendency to rush to Hikaru's house right afterwards.

"I remembered that most of my belongings are still in my parents' house. I went by to go get them and say hello to my parents. Now, what do you want for dinner?"

"I can cook," Hikaru pouted, though he knew that Akira wouldn't be able to see him. "No need to go through that trouble. Besides, it's late. Just come back, and I'll make something."

"…You're standing up again, aren't you…?" Akira's voice turned cool. "What did I say about resting properly? I'm going to take you to the hospital again if you aren't taking care of yourself!"

Hikaru rolled his eyes. He appreciated the concern, but it apparently still hadn't sunk into Akira that this wasn't something that the doctors could just cure. 'Then again, it's probably for the best. Who knows how much he'll freak out once it really sets in.'

"I told you I'm fine."

Hikaru could distinctly hear the hiss coming through the phone line a moment later. "What. Do. You. Want. For. Dinner."

"…Ramen?"

"No. I'll pick up something then, since you can't decide. Rest, Hikaru!" With that, the phone clicked, and a dial tone was heard a moment later.

"Well then," Hikaru murmured, though his eyes were filled with affection at the other teen. "I guess that's that." Turning towards Sai, he began grinning in a way that had the older man slightly cautious. "Want to play go, Sai?"

Eyeing the younger male for an signs of fatigue, and finding none that he could spot, Sai nodded. "Of course, Hikaru. Shall we take this to your room? You should rest…"

Hikaru groaned. "Not you too!" But nonetheless he followed the ex-ghost into his shared bedroom.

Sai bent down elegantly, carefully moving the goban so that it sat about a sitting person's length from the wall. He gestured for Hikaru to sit propped up against the wall, and Hikaru sighed but did as he was told – for once.

Sai silently wondered to himself if now was a good time to ask his questions. Thinking about it for a moment, he decided otherwise. 'Hikaru's still stressed from this morning, it'd probably be better for him if I asked later…' Part of him knew that it was a stalling tactic, but still, it had its merits.

Reaching over and finding a quilt, the long haired man offered it to Hikaru before he sat seiza. Reaching for the two go stone containers, he gave one to Hikaru.

"Nigiri."

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

"I mean…I mean…" Touya Akira was stammering uncharacteristically, feeling childlike amidst the armful of futon he was holding, and the glaring Ogata Seiji. Yes, Ogata's glaring orbs of "darkness" didn't exactly help poor Akira calm down at all.

"You said Sai…he's staying with Shindou?" Ogata murmured in a thoughtfully dangerous voice.

"N-No, I said...that I'm going to go to Hikaru's house and…scrub his floor with lye!...wait…" Akira groaned. 'Scrub his floor with lye? I don't know how many degrees of incredibly unconvincing that was.'

Ogata raised an eyebrow, staring at the teen. "Scrub his floor with lye? I know that you don't lie, but this is ridiculous."

Akira sighed. "Please don't remind me, Ogata-san."

"So I'm right then? The legendary 'sai' is staying with Shindou Hikaru?" Ogata smiled, in a way that even the polite – and convinced that Ogata Seiji wasn't the creepy pedophile Hikaru saw him as – Touya Akira found slightly…odd.

'Sort of like he wants to…eat me?' Akira thought with a slight shudder. 'No, that's impossible.'

"By your silence I'm right, huh? Well, lead me to Shindou's house. I knew that he had something to do with this…speaking of this, why is Shindou Hikaru living in a house in this very city when the entire go world believes that he either left the country or is dead?"

"Eh…heh…" Akira managed to murmur inarticulate statements in response to Ogata's "inquiries" – inquisition… - hindered by the determined and sort-of-scary gaze fixed upon him. 'I can't believe that all of this happened just because I managed to let it slip that I was going to go to the restaurant down the street to pick something up for Hikaru and Sai and myself. …Then again, you wouldn't expect that Ogata-san would hear it. I was talking a bit to myself after all.'

"Well?"

"Oh…look at the time," Akira quickly blurted out. "I have to go now, see you later-" 'much later…' "—Ogata-san!" He quickly grabbed the box that contained his necessities and a few other things, and perching it precariously on his futon, toed on his shoes and ran away. Yup, ran…away. "Goodbye, Father, Mother! I'll be back to visit soon!"

"Touya Akira! Come back here and answer my questions about Sai!" Ogata meant to start chasing his teacher's son down for information, but a firm hand stopped him.

"Let him be." Touya (ex-) Meijin's voice was as firm as his actions.

Ogata Seiji frowned. "But—"

"I have reasons to believe that Shindou is hiding what he is for his own reasons. Interfering now could be disastrous," Touya said.

"But it's 'sai'! How could you not be curious?" Ogata burst out in an uncharacteristic show of passion.

"Akira has been particularly devoted to Shindou lately, going so far as to move in with him. I believe that Fujiwara-san's sudden appearance has something to do with that, not that Akira did not treasure Shindou's friendship before."

Ogata blinked. "Who is this Fujiwara-san?"

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Akira gave a soft sigh of relief as he glanced over his shoulder and noticed that he was not being pursued by an irate and answer-seeking Ogata-san. "Now, time to get some food…" Akira quickly dropped by a takeout place and bought three bento boxes before heading back towards Hikaru's house. Upon noticing a convenience store on his way, he also bought a few drinks and a small carton of milk, knowing that it had been awhile since any of them had done any shopping. 'Something else to do…' he thought to himself.

Hurrying home, he rang the doorbell – 'I need to ask Hikaru If I can have another set of keys commissioned…' - and nodded at Sai, who was the one to answer. "Did you manage to keep him occupied and off his feet?" Akira inquired softly.

"Yes," Sai answered, smiling at his triumph. Given, he didn't exactly keep Hikaru from doing anything and resting, but still, it was a notable feat. "Though I believe he is getting restless, even with the go games that we have been playing."

Akira sighed softly. "Yes, Hikaru is like that."

"Hey! I'm right here," a voice protested. Akira inclined his head, and noticed that Hikaru was sprawled out on one of the tatami mats tactfully placed in various locations on the floor.

Akira held up his purchases, and motioned for the table. "We should eat now, it is rather late. I am sorry for the delay."

Hikaru waved one of his hands carelessly, and Sai answered, "It is of no consequence."

Hikaru rolled his eyes, but grinned. "So, what kept you?"

Akira winced, and Hikaru took it as a bad sign. "Well…"

"…What happened, Akira?" When the taller teen did not answer immediately, Hikaru groaned. "I don't think I want to know." When Touya Akira was hesitant about saying things, it usually meant that the result from what happened would be catastrophically disastrous.

Instead of answering Hikaru, Akira turned to Sai. "I should probably warn you to watch out for Ogata-san from now on. Actually, you might want to stop answering the phone…or the door…before checking who it is."

Sai blinked. "Err…thank you for the advice, Touya-kun."

Hikaru groaned again. "So it's that pedo—"

"Hikaru!"

"lovely man that just enjoys shoving children into walls…happy? So he found out?"

"Well, not completely," Akira admitted. "All he knows is that there is a 'sai' living with you. Actually, I'm not even sure if he knows where you live. Though, Ogata-san can get a bit…"

"Obsessed?" Hikaru offered, mind already running through ways to keep them…'safe'.

Akira shrugged. It wasn't exactly false, especially when concerned with good go players. And his glowing fish.

"Let's eat before the food gets cold," Sai said, though he looked a little nervous. After all, this would probably affect him the most. And though he doubted that Ogata-san was as bad as Hikaru seemed to think he was – even though he had been with Hikaru during the 'hospital incident' – he was a bit wary of rabid people, especially after the whole 'recommendation note incident'. 'I have gotten into a lot of incidents with Hikaru,' Sai mused.

Akira nodded in agreement and carefully placed the meal on the table. Hikaru and Sai followed him, and after Akira washed his hands they joined him.

As they ate, Akira noticed that Hikaru was merely pushing his food around on his plate again, taking a few bites at odd intervals. He sighed softly, and Hikaru glanced up at the noise. The semi-blond noticed that both of his dinner companions were looking at him worriedly, and he took a few more bites despite the fact he wasn't really hungry. "I'm fine!" he said around a mouthful of rice.

Akira raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.

Under Akira's glaring gaze, and Sai's reproachful one, Hikaru managed to finish half of his meal, and drank a small bottle of juice. He neatly put the top back onto the meal, and stood up, sticking it in the refrigerator. "I'm going to go play some NetGo, 'kay?" He disappeared quickly, and in an increasingly rare moment of understanding, Akira exchanged a look with Sai.

They quickly finished up their meals, and threw the remains in the trash can, before following Hikaru into the room. Upon noticing their arrival, Hikaru finished the go game that was ending, and turned from his laptop towards them.

"Neh, don't you guys think that we should make use of that room that I painted, especially now that Akira's moving in? I was thinking of either having me move in there, or we could turn it into a study or something, and clear this room up for sleeping."

Sai and Akira exchanged a glance, before answering in unison, "Study."

Hikaru blinked. "Err…okay. You got your stuff today, right, Akira? We can start organizing tomorrow. Given, of course, no other unexpected characters show up."

As if jinxed by his words, a knocking sounded upon his door.

"Shindou! Akira-kun! I know you're in there! Let me in!"

A silence rang through the room for a moment, before a loud voice hissed, "He's not even supposed to know where we live! You didn't tell him or anything, did you?"

"No!" Akira answered, confused.

"Go away! I don't live here!" Hikaru shouted at the door, not noticing the look Akira gave him. "I knew it," Hikaru murmured to the two beside him.

"What?" Sai asked quietly.

"Ogata Seiji is a perverted man. Why else would he be able to find two teenagers that are supposedly living alone, and visit at this odd time of night."

Akira rolled his eyes internally. 'Hikaru's being purposely dense. Though I'm surprised that Ogata-san's obsession with Sai would come this far…'

-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

As always, thanks for the reviews! Yes, Ogata's appearance, though brief. I plan on speeding things up soon, and Hikaru's life is still a chaotic mass of events.

I hope I will update again soon, and thank you all for the support, :)