Lost Memories

Chapter 11

"Wow… the Koreans really did it. They defeated the Chinese Team with a 3 – 0 score," Hiro commented as they went out of the hotel.

"Yeah," Akari agreed. "Ko Yongha might have been arrogant this morning, but he really played well. Right, Hikaru-kun?"

Hikaru remained silent as he continued to reflect on Ko Yongha's game. No doubt about it, that guy's strength made up for his arrogance. He had dominated the game against Lu Lee, making impressive moves that definitely handed him the win. Comparing the game played by Touya against Lu Lee, he could say that Ko Yongha was indeed on Touya Akira's level… or even higher. Their dan levels were definitely deceptive of their true abilities. Given their current strength and potential to improve, a few years from now, they could rule over the go world. Yashiro, on the other hand, still had a lot to improve on. He had thought at first that Yashiro may have the chance to play against Ko Yongha, but comparing their skills… it was just impossible for him to win. Touya, on the other hand, may have a chance of winning.

"Hey Hikaru!" Akari called at him loudly.

"Yeah, yeah. I heard you," Hikaru answered. "He was good… really good."

He gave a sad sigh as his thoughts drifted back into the game. While he was watching the game a few moments ago, he really felt excited as the game progressed. And at some point, his fingers itched to make the move in the place of the players. 'I really envy them…' he thought sadly. As he continued to be more exposed to go, the more he became drawn to it. He didn't know if it was still an effect of his previous life's memory, but the game had definitely grown on him. He gave a glance at his friends who continued to exclaim and gush over the result of the games. He sighed again. 'These two, on the other hand, don't really give me any challenge at all…'

Morning came, and Hikaru arrived in the hotel quite early than the time he had agreed with Hiro and Akari.

'I guess I'll just have to wait inside,' he thought as he took off his cap and walked towards the room where the audience can watch the game. It was a good thing that the complimentary tickets that Yashiro gave them were good for the two-day game. He then stopped when he noticed a familiar grey hair just behind a pillar.

"Yashiro," he called as he approached the boy.

Yashiro glanced back. "Yo, Shindo. You're quite early today."

Hikaru grinned at him. "So are you. Bet you're excited, eh? I've watched the Korean third board yesterday and I think you can match up with him pretty well."

"You think so?" Yashiro asked; his voice quite low. He then fixed his eyes on Hikaru. "Actually, Kurata-san said I'm going to be the second board today."

"Really?" Hikaru exclaimed. "Well, that's great!" He then coughed and cleared his throat. "Well, too bad you didn't make it to the first board," he joked. But he stopped when he saw Yashiro's expression. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

Yashiro sighed. "Who wouldn't? Yesterday's game made me realize that experience does matter in tournaments like this one. I'm n-not sure if I can win…" he whispered.

Silence befell them. Then, suddenly…

"Ouch! What was that for?!" Yashiro rubbed his head where Hikaru smacked him with his cap.

"For you to wake up," Hikaru said dryly. He then turned to leave but stopped after a couple of steps. "Yashiro…" he started without turning back. "You said people tend to underestimate you since you had just turned pro, right? Then prove them wrong." He then glanced at him. "Besides, your parents might come and watch your game. So, stop messing around and just play your opponent like you're trying to defeat me."

Yashiro's eyes followed Shindo's retreating back. He then let out a chuckle at his friend's expression. 'That kid is sure weird,' he thought. 'Play as if he is my opponent, eh?'

He then straightened himself when he saw Touya and Ochi coming towards him. It may be a tough game, but just as Shindo said, he still had a lot to prove, especially to Ochi who had strongly reacted to Kurata's decision on the pairings. 'Thanks Shindo.'

"They're late," Hikaru grumbled while leaning back on his seat. People were starting to fill the room since the game were about to start. He closed his eyes to rest a little, oblivious to the two guys who passed by him and sat on the seats by his right.

"Hey."

Hikaru jerked up and glanced at his right and saw a familiar boy looking at him. "Ahm… did you just call me?" he asked to the guy one seat apart from him.

"Yeah," the boy with messy brown hair answered. "Are you a friend of Yashiro?"

"Uhm… yeah?" Hikaru's brows furrowed as he tried to remember where he had seen this boy. He really looked familiar to him.

"You don't seem to remember me but…"

"Hikaru!"

Hikaru turned and saw Akari and Hiro waving at him as they neared him. Akari then settled herself on the seat between Hikaru and the boy with brown hair.

"Really Hikaru-kun… you should have sent us a message or something that you're already here inside. We were waiting for you in the lobby. Did you know… blah..blah…"

The boy with messy brown hair couldn't do anything more but sigh when the red-haired girl interrupted his conversation.

"You know him, Waya?" Isumi asked.

"Not really. I'm just trying to start a conversation," Waya replied. He didn't know why but he couldn't shake the feeling that this boy was more than he appeared to.

A slight confusion had resulted from the change in the player boards of the Japanese team. But other than that, the awaited games started just as everyone had expected… intense and nerve wrecking. Touya Akira and Ko Yongha battled fiercely which caused impressed reactions over the audience and the commentators. But the most surprising was the second board of the Japanese Team. At first people wondered why the previous third board player was suddenly assigned to play as the second board. But the game that followed gave them the answer. Although the game was tough especially for a new pro like him, Yashiro managed to hold himself together and continued to battle it out evenly with Imu Irufan, the Korean second board.

"I can't believe Japan has scary players like them," Yang Hai commented.

The Chinese Team and other teams' representatives were inside a separate room where they watched the games through the television screens.

"Ochi is also doing well, but Hon Suyon is clearly at an advantage," Kurata said.

"The second board… did he really just turned pro?" An Teson asked.

"Yeah, this is his first official match as a pro," Kurata chuckled. "That would show you not to underestimate my players. If all goes well, we might even win this."

Stone after stone were placed on each of the three games. As the spaces on the board decreased, the tension increased, not knowing what the final results would be. The game between Touya and Ko Yongha was already near Yose but the winner still couldn't be determined based on the position of their stones. Yashiro had a slight disadvantage against Imu Irufan but the game was still in the middle game so anything could still happen. Ochi, on the other hand, was desperately holding onto his position. Overall, the outcome of the match seemed to be leaning more on the Korean team's favor.

Seconds, minutes passed, then the resignation of Ochi caused a stir among the Korean supporters as they gained their first win. But Yashiro's game suddenly turned the tide when he made a hand that caused a huge turn around on the game. They were still entering yose, but the advantage that was caused by the moves that he made was enough to have Irufan sweating. The most critical game would then be that of the first board. Touya and Ko Yongha continued to struggle in the yose stage until the last stone was placed. The crowd held their breaths as the players performed seichi. Even at the end, it was difficult to determine who will win…

The crowd gave a loud applause as the final announcement of the winners was made. Although the Japanese team lost, the members had fought well and their games were impressive enough to be appreciated by go enthusiasts.

"It's so sad that Touya-kun lost though," Akari sniffed.

Hiro nodded, "But it was a well matched game. It only proves that he is on the same level with Ko Yongha."

Hikaru glanced back at the TV screen which showed the final pattern of the game between Ko Yongha and Touya Akira. It was indeed a shame that Touya lost. But with that type of game, there could only be one winner. One single move could have decided which of them would be the winner or the loser. Touya may have lost the game, but his skill had definitely left a deep impression on the other players. Seeing that the players were leaving, he also stood up to leave and meet up with Yashiro.

"Hey guys, I'll go first to congratulate Yashiro. I'll catch up with you later," he said to Akari and Hiro. He took a step when he felt something thrown at his head. "Hey, what did you do that for?" he turned to Akari.

Akari lifted her brows at him. "Don't leave your things with me, idiot."

"Jeez," Hikaru grumbled as he took the cap and placed it on his head. "Really, you'll never get yourself a boyfriend with the way you act Akari-chan."

Hiro stifled at laugh while Akari glared at Hikaru and stuck her tongue out at him. "We'll just wait for you at the entrance. Don't make us wait too long, Hikaru."

Hikaru gave a small wave in response and went out of the room.

"Hey Waya, where are you going?" Isumi asked as he saw his friend stood up.

"I just need to go to the toilet, Isumi-san," Waya replied in a hurry then dashed out to follow the bleached banged boy.

The other room where the game was held was packed with people and reporters waiting for the players to go out in order for them to hear their comments. Not wanting to join the crowd, Hikaru went to the other side towards the stairs to wait on Yashiro. He leaned against the pillar near the rail when he saw the Korean group stepped out of the room. People crowded on them immediately trying to get their views on winning the Hokuto Cup. An Teson stepped out as the representative for the Korean Group and spoke on behalf of the team. Meanwhile, Hon Suyon pulled Ko Yongha to sneak out of the crowd and dragged him towards the stairs instead of the elevator.

"Really Suyon, why do we have to leave so suddenly?" Yongha asked as he followed his friend.

"Knowing you Yongha, you'll leave some scathing remarks whenever you're bored or irritated about something. You're definitely heating up back there," Suyon commented dryly.

Yongha laughed. "Well, I was planning to tell that reporter that Touya almost cried back there."

Suyon snorted at that. "I really hate this immature Yongha," he grumbled.

"Is that so?" he asked in an amused tone. "Alright, alright…" he grinned at the glare that Suyon gave him. He just shrugged his shoulder as he walked passed a teenager leaning near the stairs as if waiting for someone.

As the twosome neared him, Hikaru quickly recognized them as the Korean representatives and the taller one as Ko Yongha, the guy who insulted Shusaku. Although he didn't like the guy's attitude during that time, he was quite impressed by the skill that he had shown during his game with Touya Akira. His green eyes followed Ko Yongha's form as he passed by him. Ko Yongha must have noticed his stare that he turned his head, and their eyes met. Hikaru had always been impulsive, and today was not an exception. Before he could stop himself, a grin crossed his mouth.

"You're Ko Yongha, aren't you?" he asked.

Suyon stopped and turned back when he heard the voice. Ko Yongha, on the other hand, though didn't understand what the boy said, but since his name was mentioned, lifted his brows at the boy.

"Just want to say congratulations for winning!" the boy wearing a cap greeted sincerely, holding out his hand to him.

Ko Yongha accepted the hand, since it seemed rude to reject it.

"I actually heard you the other day admit that you insulted Shusaku."

"No, that's not what happened!" Suyon defended Yongha. "It was a misunderstanding!" He turned to Yongha and explained what the boy said.

Yongha smirked. "Are a Shusaku fan?" he asked, which Suyon quickly translated.

The boy cocked his head and grinned. "Well… let's just say I might be the reincarnation of Shusaku."

Suyon just stared at him incredulously; then shook his head. He turned his back then called to Yongha. "Leave him. He's just one crazy guy."

Yongha seemed not convinced, but after Suyon explained to him what the boy said, he was laughing his guts out. He grinned then went towards the boy and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I like this kid. So how about a game, Shusaku?"

Suyon's mouth dropped open at what Yongha said. "Yongha, you idiot! What do you think you're doing?"

"He wants to challenge me anyway. Tell him to follow me to my room," he said to the pissed Suyon who nevertheless still did what he asked.

The boy gave him an engaging smile and followed Yongha while Suyon grudgingly trailed them.

Hikaru began to feel excited as he followed them to Yongha's room. He still couldn't believe that the guy would ask a game from him. Hah! He was itching for a game since yesterday, so no way he was going to pass this up. When they reached the room, Yongha sat on the sofa facing the goban.

"I don't plan to make this a long game, kid," he said which Suyon translated.

"Likewise," Hikaru replied as he sat opposite his opponent. He took the bowl nearest to him and opened it to find out it contained the black stones.

"Nigiri," he said as he placed 2 black stones. It was even, so Hikaru was to play black.

"Yongha…" Suyon started to protest again but Yongha stopped him. "Just tell them I'll follow after a few minutes. I'm just going to have a quick game.'

"This won't be an easy game," the boy smiled at Yongha.

Suyon narrowed his eyes at the boy. He didn't translate it to Yongha since it would just amuse him even more. Such rubbish talk. The boy held such confidence even though he knew he would play against one of the top Korean pros. He shook his head and sighed. But Ko Yongha can be an arrogant bastard at times. He left them to inform their companions that Yongha will be late.

"I thought it's just going to be quick game. Where the hell is he?" one of their companions asked.

Suyon also got a little irritated. 'What happened? Don't tell me he's having a difficult time with that boy?'

"Maybe we have to get him. He might have gone to sleep or something."

When they arrived at the room, they found Yongha still sitting in front of the goban, staring at the cluster of stones. His opponent was nowhere in sight.

"Yongha?"

They went near him and were surprised to see his shocked expression as he stared at the board. They followed his line of vision and sucked their breaths at the pattern of the stones on the board.

The result of the game was pretty obvious, white was completely trashed.

Suyon turned his head to Yongha in disbelief. "Yongha… weren't you white?"

Chaos was the right term to describe the next events. Their companions began to demand who played black, but both Suyon and Yongha didn't have a name to give them. Additional trouble came when Amano-san, a Japanese journalist entered to interview the Korean team, along with him a Korean interpreter. It took a few questions and angry responses from the Korean members to realize what happened. It seemed that an unknown Japanese teenager defeated the number one Korean teen pro, who just defeated Touya Akira.

"I can't believe there would be a kid who could beat Ko Yongha like this? Who was he?" An Teson muttered as he stared at the board. "Amano-san, is there a younger pro who could rival Touya Akira?"

Amano shook his head. "So far as I know, no one among the younger pros could match well against Touya-kun. So I have no idea who this boy you're referring to."

"Shusaku…"

They all turned their head towards the red haired youth whose head was still bent on the board. They saw Yongha grabbed his hair into his hands whispering the name of Shusaku over and over again. Then his shoulders began to shake, then they heard a soft chuckle coming from him which turned into laughter.

They shared worried glances at each other. An Teson walked towards Yongha and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Yongha, if you'll give us a clear description of this kid, we'll look over for him. It was rude of him to just challenge you after you just had finished an intense match," An Teson said.

Yongha shook his head. "No need to bother. I prefer not to know his real identity for now," he said, completely recovered from his shock. He stood up and turned around to go out of the room.

"Yongha!" Suyon called as he followed him out of the room. "What the hell was that? Why won't you give any information about that boy? What had just happened?"

"He wasn't kidding, Suyon."

"Huh?" Suyon stared at him in confusion.

"His play was indeed like Shusaku's. A modern Shusaku," Yongha whispered as he placed his hands inside his pockets. "Regardless if I'm tired or not won't make any difference. I won't win against him."

"What?!"

Ko Yongha straightened himself and took a step ahead. "Touya Akira was a tough opponent and his further development would be scary. But that Shusaku kid… he is my rival."

"Y-yongha…"

"Someday, we'll meet again. The next time I step into this country, I'll make sure I'm prepared to battle out with him," he declared fiercely, his eyes gleaming with determination.

Hon Suyon leaned at the wall as his eyes followed Yongha's retreating form. He was at first worried at Yongha's defeat when he saw his crushed expression a while ago as he stared at the go board. But his reaction just now wasn't that of defeat – it was of excitement. Suyon sighed. 'So, he found a worthy opponent, eh?' A smile suddenly formed on his face. Whatever the future holds for them, one thing was for sure… Ko Yongha will even get stronger.

Not much of Touya, huh? Don't worry, I'll focus on him on the next chapter… hehehe… please read & review.

… I really don't have any idea about the stigma on wearing glasses. But thanks for the info, I'll keep that in mind.

… Did I really make Akari irritating? Geez, I never really intended to…

… Longer chapters?… Waahh… the last chapter was the longest one I've ever made in all my stories… it reached more than 4000 words (twice my usual update)… XD

Thanks for all your reviews:-)

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