Disclaimer: I don't own Hikaru no Go. I'm too lazy even to think of a good reason why I don't own it.

Touya Hikaru

Chapter 11

To Fit In

On day three of the Pro Exam, Hikaru stepped into the Go Association with the confidence he'd been lacking in the previous two days. His hands were stuffed in his pockets around the backpack strap slung across his shoulder. His face was set in determination with his chin held high. Wind blew around his body as if pushing him forward to be strong.

He crossed the threshold of the Association, and he felt the pressure press down on him.

Stay strong, Hikaru, Sai coaxed, pushing his host forward.

'Right.' He took a confident step, and the feeling of pressure seemed to evaporate. He grinned as he realized he had the ability to not only ignore the anxiety in the air but destroy it entirely. With a newfound spring in his step, Hikaru bounced to the elevator. Unloading his problems had made him feel light as a feather. He decided he would face his problems now, not back off.

As he exited on the sixth floor, his caught Akira's eye. His first response was to back down from the heated stare, but he remembered his resolve. 'I'm done running, Akira,' he thought, almost as if the other boy could hear him. 'If we can't be friends during this test, then we're rivals.'

Akira nodded, as if understanding Hikaru's message. His glare didn't disappear, but rather twisted into a determined look. Hikaru responded with a confident smirk.

"Hey, Hikaru."

Already used to Fuku's appearing acts, Hikaru broke eye contact with his new rival and looked at his…his friend. "Hey, Fuku! What's up?"

Fuku smiled. "Not much. I'm glad to see you're doing better."

Hikaru grinned. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah. So, are you ready for our game today?"

He nodded. "I'm gonna win this one. What's your score so far? You won yesterday, right?"

He received a shake. "Nuh-uh. My opponent yesterday was really strong."

"So you're 1-1? I guess neither of us is in good shape. Still, I can't lose."

Fuku nodded. "Doesn't mean I'll give it to you."

Hikaru smirked. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

They entered the game room and sat down at their Go board, waiting for Shinoda to call them to start. As they sat together, they passed the time with idle chatter, both falling into a certain level of comfort, even going as far as laughing despite how much was riding on the single game.

Once they heard the familiar call for them to start, Hikaru slapped a black stone down in the upper right corner before leaning back in his seat. He found the game moved quickly and easily. Fuku was a fast player. It wasn't a bad strategy and usually threw opponents off balance, but Hikaru had grown so used to Sai already knowing where he wanted to go when it was Hikaru's turn to place a stone.

They played at an upbeat pace and Hikaru found it relaxing as he countered Fuku's attacks whilst laying traps, only to fall into a few of Fuku's traps. It was a playful dance back and forth, but Hikaru instantly saw Fuku's largest fault in his playing style. The smiling boy played quickly with an excellent Go sense, but he laid his stones too thinly.

Hikaru managed to orchestrate a simultaneous attack on multiple sides of Fuku's territory and quickly extinguished the boy's lower left territory until it was in shambles. All he had to do was successfully destroy Fuku's lower right territory, and he would have the game in the bag. Now, he had to lay a trap at 11-17, and-

"You two, I called lunch five minutes ago."

Hikaru's hand froze above his Go bowl and he instinctively turned to stare up at Shinoda.

The older man frowned, staring at the board. "Actually…you are pretty close to the end of your game. Would you like to just finish it right now?" Grinning eagerly, both boys nodded their heads in unison. "All right. Just hurry."

"Yeah." Hikaru quickly snapped down his stone at 11-16 and stopped his clock and waited for Fuku's quick response.

He was not disappointed, and the game continued even faster that it had before as the anxiety levels in the room rose higher and higher. In fifteen minutes, they had not only finished the Middle Game, but were halfway through the End Game before Fuku finally resigned.

Hikaru met his friend's bowed head with his own. "Thanks for the game."

"That was fun, even if I did lose," Fuku commented while he cleared the table.

Hikaru grunted in agreement, consumed with the excitement of finally being able to mark his win. It was nice to not have to watch his opponent mark a win like he had been for the past two days.

"So…Are Waya and Isumi coming for lunch again?" He hadn't been there the previous day, so he had no idea if that was a continuous thing, or merely for the first day.

Fuku shrugged. "I doubt Waya will, but I think Isumi had a game today. If you want to wait, his break should start soon."

"Sure! I'll try to make up for the past two days," Hikaru joked, helping Fuku clear off the last of the board. It turned out Nase had already decided to wait for Isumi as well, so the three of them waited outside of the fifth floor game halls. Hikaru had been skeptical about waiting there until Fuku assured him that higher dans and lower dans played on different days.

When the bell rang for lunch break, Isumi was one of the last pros out of the room and smiled at the group of friends at the door. "Hey! I didn't realize you guys were here."

"We thought we'd join you for lunch," Hikaru said with a grin.

Isumi smiled back. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"I've been hearing that a lot. I can't imagine why."

Isumi laughed. "You're much more fun when you're in a good mood. What caused the change?"

Hikaru shrugged, falling in-step with the other three. "I just talked things out. I got over the pressure of taking the test, and now I feel ready for anyone." 'I can't wait to take on Akira, now.'

With a smile hidden behind his fan, Sai patted Hikaru's head, causing the blonde to look up confused. It's good to have a rival. Then you two will push each other to always out do each other. Rivalry advances Go for later generations.

Hikaru considered that for a moment. 'Hey Sai, did you ever have a rival?'

I consider everyone my rival. Hikaru gave the ghost a skeptical look. I had a few rivals when I was younger, but they fell behind, skill-wise. I kept growing as they hit walls. By the time I died, the only one I would have considered a rival was the other Go instructor, and…well, you know how that went.

A growl confirmed Hikaru's hate for the other man. The only good of him existing was that Hikaru had met Sai. If not for that, Hikaru would have cursed the man for the rest of all eternity. After spending every waking moment with Sai, Hikaru had grown used to his ghostly companion shadowing him at every step, and now he never wanted to lose Sai, even in death. They were inseparable.

Sai could only smile at Hikaru's affection. He was like a cute little brother. A very cute little brother with a large mouth, but a kind heart.

"So, where to go for lunch?" Hikaru asked, trying to lighten his own mood.

"There's a good soba place nearby," Fuku supplied. "We haven't been there, yet."

Hikaru made a face, but when Isumi and Nase seemed interested, he grudgingly resigned to soba for lunch. He wasn't particularly fond of the dish, but at least it was his mother paying for his meal and not himself.

The slurped through their noodles and chatted with a far lighter atmosphere than the first two days. For the first time since the beginning of the Pro Test, the lunch break seemed to pass faster than Hikaru would have wanted. Once they split from lunch, Fuku went off for home while Hikaru walked back to the Association with Isumi and Nase.

Hikaru and Isumi dropped Nase off at the sixth floor and than left for Isumi's floor. "So, who are you playing?" Hikaru asked as the elevator doors shut.

"Mashiba 2-dan. He was also a winner of last year's Pro Test."

"Really?" Hikaru couldn't remember his father or Ogata mentioning various winners of the Pro Test. The semi-blonde could only take it as a sign that there was no interest in the incoming Go players. No one stood out.

"Yeah. I won against him in the Pro Test, but…well; I haven't been doing too well this time around." Isumi sighed and leaned against the elevator railing. "It feels like I've hit a wall. I haven't been able to win a game for almost a month. Even against players I should be able to beat."

Hikaru frowned. He was no good with walls – having yet to hit a wall based on actual strength, yet. If Isumi had been having an emotional problem, Hikaru would have been the guy to go to, but as for a stunt of growth…he was in the dark. "Well, I'm sure all you need is one win and you'll be fine, right?"

Isumi sighed, shaking his head. "That's what I thought, but the way the game is going today, I don't think I can win. I don't know, it's just frustrating," he said before pausing. He glanced down to see Hikaru hard in thought, with a frown marring his face. "Sorry! Don't think about it too much, it's my problem," he hastily said, hoping to rectify his mistake. Only one of them needed to be focused on his problems. Hikaru had the Pro Test.

"It's okay. You need advice, right? I can't say I'm any good at giving advice, but all you really do need is one win and you should be able to pull yourself out of your rut. C'mon, kick Mashiba's ass!" Hikaru pulled a silly grin and stepped off of the elevator, coaxing Isumi to follow him.

Isumi laughed and felt better. He was glad he had told Hikaru. Even if the younger teenager couldn't give him the best advice, he made Isumi feel better. "All right, all right; I'll do my best."

"That's the spirit." Hikaru gave Isumi a pat on the back and watched the onyx black hair retreat into the room to the far end to sit before another boy with bleach blond hair. 'Mashiba, huh?' The bleached-haired boy smiled creepily, and Hikaru turned away with a disturbed look on his face. 'I can definitely say I don't like his grin.'

Sai nodded, mutely. Let's just hope Isumi-kun can win.

Hikaru watched his tall friend fall to his knees, never once looking away from Mashiba's glare, though retaining his own cool stare. Hikaru caught his head between his hands, with his elbows fanning out to the side, and jaunted back to the elevator. 'He'll be fine.'

"Well…day four. Another game, another win." Hikaru hopped into the Go Association, bounding expertly up to the sixth floor. When he glanced around he frowned, mechanically heading over to where Fuku and Nase sat. "Hey," he greeted, sitting beside his short and slightly chubby friend. "Where is everyone?"

"Everyone with three wins or three loses are gone already." Nase flicked a strand of hair out of her face in annoyance. "That includes Iijima." She stuck out her tongue. "Oh, well. It just us three, now."

Hikaru nodded, not sure whether to take that as a good or bad sign. He glanced around again, only to find Akira wasn't there. 'I guess he already got his three wins. So much for playing him today.' "Wait!"

Fuku and Nase jumped at the sudden outburst. "What?"

"Well…then how do we know who we play?" Hikaru had been hoping to be paired against Akira either that day or the next, but he had only just realized he had no opponent for the next two days.

Nase giggled. "You're overreacting," she pointed out, and Hikaru blushed before settling down. "Today and tomorrow, all of the remaining participants will redraw for their games. You'll just have to wait until the drawing to find out who you're paired with."

Slumping, Hikaru dropped his head against the table. "So much for self-preparation."

"Don't worry so much," Nase said with a giggle, patting the shoulder of the dramatic blonde.

"Yeah," Fuku agreed. "You'll be fine no matter what. You're strong, just green."

Hikaru stuck his tongue out. "Thanks," he muttered.

Before he could dramatically angst anymore, the proctors again called them into the empty room from day one for everyone to pull names. And once again, when the name 'Touya' rang across the room, all eyes fell instantly upon him – this time even swifter than the first. He sighed, rose to his feet, crossed the room, pulled a name, had it recorded, and practically ran back to his seat.

It was one thing to be stared at on a field. It was another thing to be stared at in a small room.

Honestly, he was just glad that the only one who had approached him about it was Fuku. Well, and Nase had the previous day while they had waited for Isumi, but she had reacted similarly and hadn't pressed for details. Although, judging by her twitching fingers when he sat back down, her feminine genes were reacting and she was becoming curious once more. Of course, she had self-restraint.

The game of the fourth day began, and Hikaru found himself more at ease than the first three games. After his win against Fuku the previous game, Hikaru felt more confident than he had in a long time as he slapped his stones down with confidence.

The game was far slower than the previous day, but Hikaru also felt he had more time to think while playing his new opponent. He did know the other's name, but that was probably for the better. If had been forced to beat someone like Nase, then he would have felt horrible for trying to beat her and knock her out of the test.

4-4

7-5

6-3

Back and forth. Attacking and defending. Generals at arms. The flow of stones between the two commanders. The stones ebbing and receding and territory was gained, lost, and protected.

"All right, stop your clocks. It's time for lunch."

Hikaru stopped his clock and stretched, yawning in a cat-like manner as his spine stretched and popped. They had only managed to make it to the middle game and Hikaru was already wiped. He thanked his opponent before rushing to meet Fuku and Nase for lunch. They took the elevator down and Hikaru twitched every time the bell buzzed for the different levels. Thankfully the doors remained shut until they reached the first floor.

Sighing in relief, Hikaru rushed out the front door with Nase and Fuku trailing behind. They stopped at the nearest burger store for lunch. Once they had their food and had sat down, Nase felt her inner curiosity explode. "So, why didn't you tell Isumi and Waya your last name?" she asked as she picked the onions off her burger.

Groaning, Hikaru let his head dramatically fall to the table. He'd only told her he was in fact Touya Meijin's son the day before. He was hoping that would be enough to sate her. It wasn't, apparently. "Look, I didn't tell them because they don't need to know. The less everyone else knows, the less likely my dad's gonna find out," Hikaru grumbled, chewing on a handful of fries.

Nase wasn't done yet. "Why don't you want your father to know? He's your teacher. Of all peop-"

Hikaru actually glared this time. "He isn't my teacher." He stared out the window, mumbling. "He doesn't even know I play."

Now both Fuku and Nase were confused. "How does he not know you play?" Fuku asked, sipping on his soda.

"He just doesn't," Hikaru snapped, whipping his head about. "Look, it's complicated. That's all there is to say about it."

Fuku and Nase nodded and ducked their heads as silence fell about the table. Hikaru instantly kicked himself – mentally – for his stupidity. "Look," he murmured, his voice remaining quiet. "I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" They nodded but remained silent. He sighed in exasperation. "So, how are your games going?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

They both shrugged.

"I'm doing okay," said Fuku, munching on his burger.

Nase shook her head. "I'm doing really badly. I don't think I'll be able to pull a win. It'll be my second loss."

Hikaru placed a hand consolingly on her shoulder. "At least put up the toughest fight you can."

Nase smiled; Hikaru's cheerfulness was infectious. "Right," she nodded, taking a large bite out of her burger in the process.

They then finished their lunch in a far happier and lighter mindset. Once food was taking care of, the trio jaunted back to the Go Association to finish their games. Hikaru won by 3 ½ points, Fuku by 2 ½ points, and Nase lost hers by ½ a point, but had managed to play all the way to the end of the game.

Despite the loss, the group jogged away from the association with grins and laughs. Each teen had two wins and two losses. The next day would be critical.

Hikaru, you're never going to wake up tomorrow!

'Shush! I can't concentrate, Sai.'

Sai floundered behind his host. Hikaru, you can't stay up all night playing Go online! You'll miss your game tomorrow, or you'll play badly. Hikaru, tomorrow's game is too important!

Clicking the stone into place, Hikaru leaned back to examine his opponent's next move. 'Look, I'll stop after this game, but you've got to let me finish it first. This guy's really strong.'

Resigning himself, Sai couldn't help but watch Hikaru's eagerness with a chuckle. To think, a year ago Hikaru was grudgingly learning how to play so he could understand Sai's love of the game. Six months before that, Hikaru couldn't even stand looking at a board for more than a minute. Now? Now he was aiming to play professionally.

Sai cringed at Hikaru's hand, but the blonde didn't notice. It seemed he still had a ways to grow. Even now, Sai could see the outcome of the game, and Hikaru wasn't going to win. The boy was behind by four points and the farther the game progressed, the larger the gap would get.

Nonetheless, Hikaru played to the end, effectively being slaughtered by 11 ½ points to the hands of Zelda. 'No!' he groaned, closing out of the screen as he had promised. 'I knew I hated that game for a reason…'

Rolling his eyes, Sai had to raise his fan to cover the smile that danced on his lips. All right, bed time now.

A devilish smirk played upon Hikaru's face. 'I just agreed to close out of the computer. You have to beat me in a game to make me go to bed.'

Sai instantly knew he'd have to slaughter Hikaru for the child's lash. Well, he wouldn't have to, but the ghost convinced himself a quick and brutal game would be best. He agreed, and Hikaru set up the game. The blonde placed his first stone and glanced up with a challenging smirk, only to find himself staring down the jaws of a deadly dragon.

Unconsciously, Hikaru inched backwards as Sai smacked his fan on the board. Less than a hundred hands in, Hikaru resigned. There was a mass of white stones dominating the board, and only a dozen black stones pebbling the surface. Most dead.

"I get it!" Hikaru exclaimed, easily returning the stones to their bowls. "I'm going to bed!"

Down the hall, his mother heard him and glanced at the clock. 'Hikaru willingly going to bed at ten? What's going on?'

Surprisingly awake, Hikaru walked slowly out of his room at 7:30. All he would need was some breakfast and he'd be off to the Go Association for the final day of the exam. He shoveled his food down his throat and was about to leave when he heard footsteps padding down the hall. He spun his head around, his eyes landing on his mother. "Sorry, I didn't wake you, did I?"

Akiko smiled and shook her head. "I wanted to give you a present for all of your hard work."

Blinking, Hikaru held his hand out and Akiko dropped a small box into it. Hikaru glanced at it, turning it over in his hands as he examined it. It looked like a Go board.

"It's a magnetic Go board. That way you can play on the subway or when you're bored."

Mumbling something about a cheesy present, Hikaru thanked his mom with a hug before placing it in his ever present backpack and heading out the door. Despite the cheesy feel of the board, Hikaru played out some problems supplied by Sai while he waited on the train.

The doors to the train automatically opened for Hikaru to exit, just as the doors to the Go Association opened for Hikaru to enter. Funny how they did the same thing, but Hikaru used both for different actions.

He ascended to the sixth floor and headed to the small room he was growing far used to. When he stepped inside he found the only other people in the room were the proctors, Nase, Fuku, and two other participants Hikaru didn't recognize.

"Well, if we're all here, then we will start the drawing. The letter you pick indicates who you will play. Unless Touya-kun and Fuku draw each other, then the drawing will be final."

Hikaru stared at the bowl as he waited, and soon everyone had drawn a piece of paper. Fuku's was A, Nase's B, and the other two participates also pulled an A and a B. Hikaru's slip was blank.

"Um, why is mine blank?" Hikaru asked, showing – was it Shinoda? – the paper.

"It's a bye. It means you've gotten an automatic win."

"So…I'm in the main exam?" Hikaru asked skeptically.

"Yes." The older man took in the athletic build. "It's like a default."

"Oh," Hikaru breathed, handing over the paper and walking out of the room in a daze. Once outside he burst. 'Awesome! I got a default!'

Hikaru! That's not a good thing! the ghost admonished.

The fifteen year old ignored the reprimanding. 'Aw, c'mon. It's better than having lost.' He glanced back behind him. 'I guess we can go, then…'

Sai looked down knowingly. You want to know how they did.

'Yeah,' he agreed, hesitantly. 'Do you mind if we stay here? We can play on my magnetic board.'

Sai nodded. That's fine.

Hikaru hunkered down on one of the benches and proceeded to play Go with Sai until the lunch break. He joined Fuku and Nase, who had decided to forgo burger for homemade lunches. One the games were called to be back on, they returned to the game room and Hikaru was left to play with Sai once again.

The next time he was interrupted was not by the players, but by Waya.

"Hey, Hikaru, what're you doing out here?"

Hikaru glanced up to meet the gaze of the hazel eyes. "Hey, Waya. I got a bye today, so I thought I'd wait for Fuku and Nase and find out how they did. How about you?"

Waya invited himself to sit next to Hikaru and handed over an extra soda he'd gotten when he'd seen the blonde bangs. "I'm here for the Morishita study group."

"Morishita?" Hikaru asked, furrowing his brows. "Who's he?" He vaguely remembered hearing the name before, but he couldn't remember anything specific.

"Who?!" Waya spluttered, nearly dropping his soda. "Do you live under a rock? Morishita 9-dan!"

Hikaru was still drawing a blank, but decided to just nod away. "So, you go to a study group?"

"Yeah," Waya said with an air as if saying 'of course I do, dummy.' "Everyone either goes to a study group, or some people – like Isumi – go to community classes. What about you?"

"Nope. I just study on my own," Hikaru admitted. He'd never thought about joining a study group. The only one he'd known about was his father's, and he didn't plan to join that group.

"Are you serious?" Waya admonished. "And you expect to be able to pass the Pro Test?"

"Well, I plan at Go salons and online sometimes…" Hikaru mumbled, trying to recover. "I thought I'd be able to get away with just hard work."

Waya wanted to ask Hikaru what he was smoking, but decided against it. Instead he chose a safer route. "How about you come to Morishita-sensei's study group? I'm sure you'd like it, and he's always telling us to bring new people."

Thinking about it, Hikaru finally shrugged. "All right. What could it hurt? When is it?"

"In about ten minutes."

It was Hikaru's turn to sputter. "Seriously?! I didn't know that!"

Waya blinked. "Is that a problem?"

Hikaru shrugged. "Not really, but I need to call my mom."

"That's fine. You have a phone?"

"Yeah." Hikaru wiped his game from the magnetic Go board and threw it in his backpack in exchange for his cell phone. He walked off a few paces, pressed the speed dial, and had a short conversation with his mom. After some assurances that Morishita was in fact not a cannibal, and another Go player, like Touya Meijin, she finally conceded.

He flipped his phone shut and walked back to where Waya sat. "All good."

Waya nodded and started to say something as Nase walked out of the game room. She noticed them and gave them a thumbs up before heading off to make a call.

Hikaru turned to Waya and the boys exchanged grins before a look of worry passed Waya's face. "What about Fuku?"

Waya jumped towards the door and Hikaru followed his lead, only for the two unknown players forced them to back up. Once they had gotten passed the road block, they leaned in to see Fuku helping Shinoda clean up. "How'd it go?" Hikaru called in.

Fuku grinned. "I won!" he cheered. The two other boys shared his smile.

Shinoda walked behind Fuku to return to the Go boards to the front. "Yes, you won, Fuku, but it wasn't your best game."

Fuku sighed. "I know, but I still won."

Shinoda smiled, leading the way to the elevator. "Yes you did."

Waya and Hikaru grinned and had a mini-celebration; only to be interrupted by a gruff man – who deeply resembled Hikaru's first opponent in the exam – began shouting at them.

Or more specifically, Waya. "What are you doing out there? Get in here, Waya! You're going to be late!"

Waya sighed. "Yes, sensei."

Hikaru stared at Waya, bug-eyed. "That's Morishita?!"

"Morishita-sensei."

Hikaru ignored the correction, hesitantly grabbing his bag. "Yeah, whatever." He followed Waya into the game room and was pleasantly surprised to see that Morishita was the only gruff looking one. There were two other men in the room – one looked only a few years older than Waya, and the other looking closer to Ogata in age.

"Hikaru, that's Saeki," Waya said, pointing to the younger of the two, "That's Shirakawa-sensei," he stated, pointing to the older man with the acorn-shaped hair, "and, of course, that's Morishita-sensei. Everyone, this is Hikaru. He's a friend of mine taking the Pro Exam."

Morishita sat cross-legged, clutching a fan in his hand. "I take it you just passed the prelims. What was your final score?"

Hikaru blushed in embarrassment. "Um…two wins, two losses, and a bye…" It had sounded nice to not have to play that last game, but now it sounded really bad for his record.

Apparently Morishita agreed. "That's it? Well, we'll have to get you stronger for the main part of the test. I heard Touya Meijin has a student of his in the exam this year. You can't lose to him!"

Saeki chuckled from beside his teacher. "Yeah, and you can't lose to Touya Meijin, sensei."

"Hey, no back-sass!"

Hikaru chuckled, feeling better as the atmosphere lightened. "You don't like Touya Meijin, huh?" he almost stated, placing his bag down and taking a seat next to Waya.

Shirakawa leaned in from Hikaru's other side. "He and Morishita-sensei passed the exam the same year, so there's a sense of rivalry there."

"I can't stand the guy!" Morishita professed, waving his fan around in the air in a violent manner.

Hikaru sighed. It would definitely be better to omit his relation.

As more people filtered in, Hikaru was introduced by Waya to them, and could almost see a reflection of the Touya study group in the Morishita study group. Morishita and Touya Meijin himself. Shirakawa and Ogata. Saeki and Ashiwara. Waya and Akira.

'And where do I fit in?'

Well, this took a while. I'm sorry guys, but apparently I'm just not meant to update once a week. I'll keep aiming for it, but my teachers just love to pile on homework. (Ignore the fact that I procrastinate on all of it.) Anyways, this is a little shorter than last chapter, but last chapter was just a mega-chapter. I don't think any other chapter's gonna be quite that long.

MEKAN: You're not the only one pissed at Akira. A lot of people hated him after the last chapter, although I must disagree with you. He and Hikaru were friends. True, once school started they grew apart, but that was do to him focusing on Go and Hikaru focusing on soccer. Maybe he shouldn't have expected Hikaru to tell all of his inner most secrets, but it did concern him, and Hikaru was possibly the only friend he hadn't made over the Go board. Socially, it was a big step for him. Thanks for the review!

Kat_sakura: I'm sorry I had to bash Hikaru so much, but at least I updated! Thanks for the review!

Psychedelic Sunshine: I'm still really sorry about that. Apparently Murphy still hates me no matter my best intentions to update quickly...I'm sorry I distracted you from exam studying. Did you okay, nonetheless? Hey, I also enjoyed his losses. It's far more fun to write scenes of turmoil rather than happy peace. I don't like loading everything down depressingly for very long, but I can still enjoy the chaos. As you said, it rounds out the character. Hikaru may have been Akira's first friend that he didn't make over the board, but for Hikaru it's the opposite. Akira's the first friend he made that he can face over the board. Thanks for the review!

Big news! If fanfic doesn't suddenly change it's mind about my word count, I think I've just broken my old record. Celebration time! Anyway, quick dedications and thanks: This chapter's dedicated to Shizuka Sen for beta-ing, even though she had family over. Also, I wanted to thank firedragon for an idea that bounced me to my fill my plot for later. I point it out in chapter 13. In the mean time you'll all have to wait to find out what it was. (You'll all? It sounds right, even though it's totally gramatically incorrect..-_-;)

Well, Merry ChristmaHanaKuwanzaDe Wali! I hope everyone either did well, or does well on their exams. Please don't expect to hear from me again until around New Years. Then maybe I'll rear my ugly head.

Ja!

-Pure Shikon