Lost Memories
Chapter 12
"That Hikaru…!" Akari gritted out as she walked back and forth outside the hotel entrance. "We've been waiting here for like… an hour! Where is he?!"
"Stop doing that Akari," Hiro muttered. "You're making me dizzy."
"He left right after the awarding. It's more than an hour since we let him out of our sight," Akari continued to babble. "Yashiro-kun didn't even see him. And he said he's going to congratulate Yashiro-kun. So, where did he go?"
Hiro just sighed as rested his chin on his palm while seated on one of the benches. "Akari-chan…"
"What?!" Akari turned her head in irritation.
"Don't you think there's something different about Hikaru?" he asked, still dazed in his thoughts.
"Different?" Akari repeated as she seated herself beside him.
"Yeah," Hiro said as he lazily played with the pamphlet of the Hokuto Cup. "He's acting strange."
Akari gave him a confused look, then laughed. "Stupid. Hikaru is always strange," she smirked. "He wouldn't be Hikaru if he isn't."
Hiro smacked her on the head with the pamphlet.
"Idiot. I'm talking seriously here," Hiro scolded her, then turned to her with a serious look. "I think he's keeping something from us."
"Hikaru used to hate gobans, even up to the point of fainting at the sight of one," Hiro started to explain. "Then, suddenly he knows how to play go. Sure, his reason that he had been visiting his grandpa for lessons could be a plausible excuse. But is that enough for him to grow that strong? He's not just good, he's better than any of us – even among the other members of the club. It could be that he really has the talent even if he practices less than us. But lately I've been noticing. His plays… it's not that of an amateur. And the more I think of it, I began to think that his game against Kaiou wasn't a fluke like what he wanted us to believe. Now, he says he's friends with Yashiro Kiyoharu just because he happened to help him once." Hiro pushed back his hair that was covering his glasses. "I r-really don't know how to explain it… But do you think it's that easy to make friends with pros? I m-mean… they would share the same interest – go, that is. But being pros, they prefer higher level of go. Not the ones like amateurs like us are playing. I'm just wondering…"
"Why?" Akari asked, trying to absorb what Hiro was trying to say. "Is it that impossible? For Hikaru to be friends with someone like Yashiro-kun?"
"Might be coincidence? I'm not sure," Hiro muttered. "But have you seen the way Yashiro-kun looked at Hikaru?"
"Eh?" Akari stared at him in confusion. Then her eyes widened, "O-oh my God… D-don't tell me… Y-yashiro's gay!"
That earned her another smack at head.
"You idiot!" Hiro yelled at her. "Weren't you listening to what I've been saying? Respect! Yashiro-kun was looking at Hikaru with respect!"
"Respect?"
Hiro sighed again. "I thought it's just that Yashiro is a respectful kind of guy. But I've seen how he talks with other people. There's a difference in the way he treats Hikaru. Hikaru's behaviour towards Yashiro is also kind of weird. Regardless if they're of the same age, fact is that Yashiro is already a pro. And knowing Hikaru, he could be brash at times, but he's old enough to know when to behave himself and show respect to people with higher authority than him."
Hiro focused his dark eyes on Akari. "Think about it Akari-chan. When Hikaru talks, it seems that Yashiro was hanging on his every word. It's like it was Yashiro who was looking up to Hikaru. It just doesn't make any sense."
"So, what's your point? What do you want us to do?" Akari asked.
Hiro closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry, forget it. I think I'm talking rubbish here."
"No, I think what you said made sense," Akari said, clasping her hands together. She had been friends with Hikaru far longer than Hiro did. She had her suspicions, but hearing the same from Hiro was far more disturbing. "But what can we do? Hikaru managed to keep from us his trips to his grandfather's house and his skill in go. I have a feeling that we won't get the truth easily from him."
"I know," Hiro agreed. "It's just that…"
"Hey guys!"
Hiro and Akari turned at the voice and saw Hikaru rushing towards them.
"Speaking of the devil," Akari muttered, then turned her glare towards the latecomer. "Where have you been, you idiot?!"
Hikaru responded with a sheepish smile and scratched his head through the cap he was wearing. "Uhm… I got lost?"
"Lost?" Akari snapped at him. "Can't you give a better excuse?"
Hikaru shrugged and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, I just wandered a little bit," he coaxed her. "Can't you forgive your favourite best friend?"
That earned a snicker from Hiro. Akari swatted his arm from her shoulder and glared at him. "Hiro-kun, let's go," she called to Hiro.
"That was harsh," Hiro commented as he walked beside Akari. He gave a glance at Hikaru, his hands on his pockets, as he followed lazily behind them.
"He deserved it," Akari muttered.
"Yeah," Hiro agreed. But he knew that Akari was not the type to hold the grudge for a long time. But really, what was Hikaru hiding from them?
Akari's eyes suddenly widened when she saw a figure approaching them. "T-that's Touya Akira!" she whispered to Hiro.
"You didn't notice him when he walked out of the hotel a while ago?" Hiro asked, clearly amused at Akari's flustered face. "You were screaming your head off while waiting for Hikaru. He must have thought you were a lunatic," he teased which earned him a glare from her. They both watched as the go prodigy passed them.
'She's angry,' Hikaru mused as he stared at the backs of his friends. 'Hah, she'll get over it.'
He knew it was wrong to let them wait. No wonder Akari was angry, but… the game was worth it. He couldn't help but grin as he recalled the game with Ko Yongha. The pro had clearly underestimated him at the start, and that was a grave mistake. He was itching for a game, so regardless if his opponent didn't play him seriously or handicapped himself, he went all out. And Ko Yongha had realized it too late. He had the game in his hands and Yongha had nothing more to do but desperately ward off his attacks. 'Besides, I was in a hurry,' Hikaru defended himself. But it really felt good playing against such opponents. If only Ko Yongha had played seriously at the start, just like he did with Touya Akira, it would have been a great battle.
He then noticed Akari's and Hiro's eyes trailed on a boy who passed by them and slowly approaching him. A grin crossed his lips when he noticed the distinguishing girly hairdo…'Touya Akira'
He knew he was being a coward leaving his team just like that, but he needed some space. He needed some time to be alone, to get his thoughts together, and get a grip of himself. People congratulated him for a well-played game… a game worthy of being the first board. Yes, it was a great game. But fact was… he still lost. No matter how impressive that game had been, he wasn't able to satisfy what was expected of him. He was selected to be the first board because people knew his skill was deserving of that place. He didn't have to go through the eliminations, because he was still expected to pass it with flying colours. People at the start had expected him to win. And he had failed them. If he had won the last match, Japan would have won against Korea.
Akira took a deep breath and leaned back against the bench. After the announcement of the winners, reporters had flooded over the teams for interviews. Sometimes, he couldn't help but think that people can be really insensitive. Japan had lost… he lost. What more could he say? He was disappointed with his loss, and couldn't stop his mind from recreating the game over and over again, trying to find if there was a single hand that could have turned the tables to his favour. His pride took a large blow. He was the son of the Meijin and considered to be a go prodigy. He was expected to hold the go world in his hands in the future. And this loss was a big frustration on his part. He wanted to yell, to let out his frustration, to tell people around him to stop comparing him against Ko Yongha, or his father, or his sempai Ogata, to stop people from discussing his game, and to shut the reporters up from asking him how he felt about losing. Only, he really couldn't say something that could cause a negative impression on him and his team. Unable to bear the sinking feeling inside of him, he went out of the hotel and sat on a bench in a secluded area of the garden near the hotel's entrance.
Akira didn't know how long he had stayed there on the bench, contemplating on his pathetic loss. He glanced at his watch and was surprised that he was gone for more than half an hour. He quickly got up to go back to the hotel. There was a lunch prepared in one of the function rooms for all the participating teams and their representatives, as well as the organizers and go professionals present. He was so into his loss that he had forgotten his hunger. He walked faster towards the entrance, barely noticing the three teenagers whom he was about to pass by.
He was still dazed in his thoughts when he passed the last teenager who had fallen behind the other two.
"That was a great game, Touya Akira. Tsk.. tsk.. too bad…"
Akira paused and glanced back at the source of the voice. The boy had his back on him, a cap covered his head but he was able to catch a glimpse of his black hair. The boy continued walking but paused when he seemed to realize that Akira had stopped and was staring at him. Akira saw the boy turn a little to glance at him, but the cap's shadow covered his face, only giving him a glimpse of the smile that had crossed the boy's lips.
"15-4."
Akira blinked in confusion at what the boy said, then he just saw him gave a short wave and walked forward without another glance. He shook his head and continued towards the entrance of the hotel.
"It was a good thing that we didn't leave early. We got to watch a great game, now we got to eat free food, ne Waya?"
"Uhm…" Waya murmured in response, obviously not listening to Isumi. To say he was bothered by something was obviously an understatement. He had meant to follow the boy so that he could talk to him, though honestly, he didn't know what to talk about. There was just something about him that intrigued him… his Shusaku play, his 'inexperience' with go, and his friendship with Yashiro Kiyoharu. It just didn't fit at all. While he was wading his way through the crowd, he lost him. He continued to look around until he saw the Korean group emerge from the room. He couldn't help but fix his eyes on Ko Yongha, and even managed to see him being pulled by the third board. They were heading towards the stairs, and that was where he saw the boy with blond bangs leaning near the rail as if waiting for someone. Ko Yongha passed by him, then in his surprise, the boy seemed to have called the Korean prodigy. They talked; then some arguments followed when Hon Suyon joined the conversation. After that, the boy followed the Korean pros upstairs.
Now, what should he make out of that? Wasn't that just too weird?
Waya sighed as he tipped his glass from side to side, playing with the water inside the rim. The food looked good, but he couldn't find his appetite. A lunch was prepared for all the event organizers, team representatives, as well as the pros present. So, they were all seated inside the function room and waiting for some of the guests to settle down so that the program could be started. It was a good thing they decided to proceed with the serving of the food rather than wait for some of the guests who left abruptly. It was surprising when suddenly some of the Korean representatives went out. Well, Ko Yongha wasn't with them, so many presumed that they had looked for the other representative. But until now, they were not back yet. Some of the organizers were getting anxious at the disappearance of the winning team. They couldn't really start the program without the guests of honour, could they?
Leaning back on his chair, he caught a glimpse of the shoulder haired boy entering the room. 'So, he finally showed up, eh?' he mused as his eyes trailed on Touya Akira who took his seat on the table before theirs. 'He must be frustrated at his loss,' he thought. He had always admired Touya Meijin, but never was a fan of the younger Touya. Maybe because they were almost the same age that he saw him more like a threat or a rival in his career as a go professional. His eyes moved to the other figure seated beside Touya. Yashiro Kiyoharu. The boy just turned pro but the skill he had shown in the game against Imu Irufan was really impressive. He had turned even better than the last time he saw his game during the eliminations for the Hokuto Cup.
Just then, another guy entered the room. 'At last, he finally arrived,' he thought wryly as the figure of Ko Yongha passed their table to walk towards the Korean Group. But somehow, his expression was kind of different compared to the previous days he had seen him. He looked too serious as opposed to his usual smug and arrogant expression. The other Korean representatives followed, all with solemn faces which made everyone wonder if this was the champion of the Hokuto Cup. They looked more like they lost rather than won the tournament.
"Touya-kun, where have you been?" Kurata Atsushi, Japan's Team Leader, asked as the go prodigy took his seat in their table.
"Just took a breath of fresh air," Akira responded, scanning his eyes over the occupants of the table – Kurata, Yashiro, Ochi, Ashiwara, and Sasaki.
"Ogata-san and Touya-sensei already left," Ashiwara informed him. "They said they have other engagements to attend to."
He nodded then glanced at Yashiro who sat at his right. He couldn't help but envy the happiness that seemed to glow from the other boy's body. "Congratulations, Yashiro-kun. You did well against Imu Irufan."
Yashiro grinned in response. "Yeah, thanks. I still couldn't believe I managed to defeat him."
Kurata laughed. "Yah, even if we lost, we showed the other teams that Japan's go isn't as low as they think. You too, Ochi-kun. Your games were good, but you just need more experience in dealing with much tougher opponents." He then cast his eyes towards Yashiro. "That reminds me, Yashiro-kun, I've met your father a while ago. He must be so damn proud of you."
Yashiro looked dumbfounded as he stared back at Kurata. "H-he did? H-he w-was here?"
Kurata nodded gleefully. "He's with your teacher from school." He continued to talk about other things, entirely missing the brightened expression that crossed Yashiro's face at the mention of his father. 'I owe this to Shindo. I guess I have to visit him before I go home to Kansai.'
"Ko Yongha has arrived…" Sasaki announced in a low whisper.
"He doesn't look too good," Kurata commented. "He looks more like he wants to battle someone rather than being the winner of this tournament."
"Same as goes to his companions," Ashiwara remarked as his eyes followed the other members of the Korean team.
Just then, someone caught Kurata's attention. "Ah, Amano-san!" Kurata called.
Amano heard him and excused himself from the Korean group and approached their table.
"Kurata-sensei," he greeted. Then he turned to the other occupants of the table. "Hello there."
"You can sit here with us," Kurata said to him as pointing to the vacant seat beside him. Amano thanked him and settled himself on his seat. "By the way, is there something wrong with the Korean Team?" Kurata asked.
Amano remained silent, then turned his attention at Akira. The younger pro returned his stare with a bewildered look.
Amano took a deep breath and addressed a question to the go prodigy. "Touya-kun, do you know someone about your age who is stronger than you?"
"Huh?"
Yashiro choked on his drink. 'Someone stronger than Touya Akira?' Well, there was definitely one. The image of the boy with bleached bangs crossed his mind.
Akira shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "That's quite an inappropriate question, Amano-san, considering that I lost against Ko Yongha."
Amano gave an apologetic smile and rubbed his nape. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude but I was with the Korean Team. It may be hard to believe but Ko Yongha just played a Japanese boy and lost."
"Eh?!"
"He what?!"
That caused different reactions from the occupants of the table. Shock was an understatement, but others tried to reason why the Korean pro had lost.
"Considering the intense game he played, it might be possible that he was tired."
"How many handicaps did he have?"
Amano shook his head. "He was beaten quite badly in an even game. Maybe it was because he had underestimated his opponent at the start. But still, given his abilities, he won't be defeated like that even if he had a handicap. His opponent must be exceptionally strong, maybe at Touya-kun's level. The game didn't even reach yose."
"You got to be kidding," Yashiro muttered to himself. 'Was it Shindo?'
Amano heard him. "No, I'm not. Yongha and Suyon won't say anything more, except that the boy uses Shusaku style in playing. Maybe it was related to the insult that Yongha had delivered during the first day of the games."
Everyone looked at each other, quite speechless at that news. But among them, it was Akira who took the certain bit of information quite hard. 'Someone defeated Ko Yongha, who I wasn't able to beat? A person who is around my age? Who could that be? Who could have such strength among the younger pros? Who…?' His eyes widened as the image of a game he played once came back to him… the game against an opponent so strong, he had to resign before yose… that fearsome opponent lurking behind the darkness of the internet world…
'Why the hell are you playing go?'
'Why not? I'm strong.'
Akira clenched his fist as the possibility occurred to him. 'Could he be… Sai?'
Sorry for the late update… Here's another chapter up… please read & review…
Yeah, I guess what I wrote was quite misleading. There are only 3 teams in the Hokuto Cup. When I wrote about 'other team's representatives,' I was actually referring to the other members of the teams aside from the players, like the An Teson, Kurata, and Yang Hai.
Anyway, thanks to all your reviews…
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