WR: Before you say anything, this is the chapter that is just for the people who are not upto date with the full details of Hikaru no Go. (ignores angry mob) HEY! I'm trying to be fair here. Just wait before you chop off my head, you wouldn't want the story to go unfinished now would you? So put the axes and stop hiding behind your boys...geesss...and they say I'm scary. Thanks people!
Chapter 12 13 (NonSpoiler)
Thirty-three seconds, two minutes, 16 hours and 1 day, was how long it took Akira to finally break into Hikaru's apartment. It had taken many plastic smiles, and 'yes, I am really worried about my "friend's' health' speeches. In that amount of time, he had gotten a hold of the landlady, the legal documentation of who he was, and talked politely to her for two hours. Even then the landlady looked rather skeptical as if she was never going to get another rent payment from Shindo Hikaru. Akira did the only thing he could do, he kept smiling. Secretly, he promised himself that he would get Hikaru a tracker or maybe a microchip. It would save him the trouble.
"Here you go," the landlady smiled, "could you please remind Shindo-san that rent is due at the beginning of the month."
"Yes, ma'am," Akira stated with a bow and the door closed behind her. With a he exhaled, he stared into the darkness that was Hikaru's apartment. He flicked on the light and stared in shock. Hikaru had cleaned his apartment. It was spotless, there was no dust in sight.
Akira almost thought he was in the wrong apartment. Then he recognized the goban sitting in the middle of the living room. It was the one Hikaru had kept hidden. Instead of being covered with dust, the wooden surface was polished. The object gave off a gentle glow. Akira shook his head; there was no way a goban could glow in the middle of a dark room. Heavily, he sighed, there were no other sounds within the apartment. Shadows from the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom darkened the apartment. It was spotless, and the realization set in, Shindo Hikaru had disinfected his apartment. Akira felt sick. Exhausted, he sat down at the goban staring at the lines, the clock in the kitchen clicked 6 p.m. Hikaru should be back soon.
XXXX
Hikaru sat on the swings staring out into space. Dull green eyes did not notice children playing hide and go seek. His mind was numb. Calmly, he took in a breath and exhaled, his vocal cords trembling softly. His lower lip quivered accompanied by a twist in his heart. It shouldn't be this hard. Hikaru sighed and stood up, heading towards his empty apartment. If anything, I have to keep this promise. Akira, he will believe me. He has to.
When he arrived at his apartment complex, he checked his mail. The box was filled with the usual: bills, his mother had sent a card, and more credit card applications. Instantly, he pitched the applications and carried his exhausted legs up to his apartment. In the back of his mind something felt off. He shrugged the uneasy feeling away, it always came at times like these. Times when he wished Sai was with him again. I'm still waiting for him to come back. Which is silly… He frowned and shoved the door open and stared. The lights were on, "DAMN IT!" he cursed and groaned, "I can't believe I left the light on." He grumbled kicking off his shoes and stepping into the living room. He froze in mid step.
There in the middle of the room was none other than Touya Akira. Hikaru's eternal rival was absorbed in an old game of go. It was the second game that Sai and Akira had played. It was the game that had changed everything. However, that was not what really got to Hikaru. No, it was the fact that Touya Akira was playing Go on Sai's board. The vice on his heart clicked another notch tighter.
"Okaeri," Akira did not look up as he placed a black stone completing the slaughter.
"Tadaima," Hikaru replied at a loss of words.
"I figured that you would be back, eventually," Akira replied quietly, his hands were resting in his lap. Then intense sea foam green eyes born into brilliant green ones. Hikaru nodded calmly as he sat down across from Akira. "Would you like to go over the game?" Akira reached over and his hands hovering over a white stone, it was the first move.
"Leave it," Hikaru whispered quietly. Bleach bangs covered his eyes, creating a shadow on his face. Silently, Akira nodded and again his hand was in his lap. The two stared at each other for a moment in silence. They studied each other, patiently waiting for the moment when there would no longer be any secrets.
XXX
Akira finished the first page and continued to read the scrap book, Hikaru had practically thrown at him. It was filled with wrinkled old yellow newspapers, some dating as far back as the 1930s. Half way through, he rubbed his weary eyes, looking around. The sun was starting to go down. Hikaru had still not emerged from the kitchen. Exhausted from reading too many characters, Akira stood up and walked into the kitchen. There was Shindo Hikaru sitting at the dinning room table a bowl of new ramen in front of him. Just then Akira's stomach growled.
The noise echoed through the apartment. Hikaru looked up and pushed the bowl towards him. "I thought you might get hungry."
"Thank you," Akira replied taking a seat and picking up the pair of unused chopsticks. They did not talk. Akira ate his ramen, keeping his eyes focused on the bowl full of noodles. He ate quietly. There was barely any other sound. This seemed to irritate Hikaru even more.
"You eat really quietly," Hikaru muttered.
"It's polite," Akira replied reaching for a napkin, returning the glare.
"Demo its ramen!" Hikaru protested, "You need to slurp it to appreciate it."
Akira bristled a bit but did not make a comment. He paused for a moment; the familiar smirk was faint on Hikaru's lips. "I...I believe you, or I believe some of it." Akira stated calmly. Hikaru did not say anything just nodded, turning towards the window in the kitchen. Akira could not say a word but nor could he stop himself from staring at his rival. The movement of the clock echoed through the apartment.
"I should go," Akira broke the silence, his chair scratching across the wooden kitchen floor. Hikaru remained silent, watching the clouds pass by, leaning heavily on his right hand. Akira walked out of the kitchen, his footsteps echoing through the apartment. As if there was no one there. The young pro paused at the entrance, looking back at the tucked away kitchen. His chest vibrated with each heart beat, but his rival never appeared. He counted 60 heartbeats. There had been no sound from the kitchen. Touya Akira couldn't stop himself from sighing in frustration. He slipped on his shoes, making as much noise as possible. With a final glance at the kitchen entrance, he turned his back on the apartment and turned the doorknob.
"Remember when I told you that you were chasing my ghost?" a familiar voice echoed through the apartment.
Akira lifted his hand from the door knob, "Hai. How could I forget?" Intense sea foam green locked with bright green eyes.
"I still want to apologize, you can't play him anymore but," Hikaru fisted his hand, eyes locking with his rival's, "The Sai you wanted to play isn't here anymore but Sai is in my Go. I don't know if you realize that, but I will become as strong as you and we will always play Go from now on." Hikaru seemed lost in a dream as his lips formed a thin line. "That should be good enough for you, right?"
"Of course," Akira shouted, his cool temper was finally shattered. "I've realized and have acknowledged you and you alone as my rival. I don't want anyone else, Shindo Hikaru. I don't want to play Sai anymore, I only want to play you. You drove me insane when you almost quit, did you ever think of that?" Hikaru took a back step as Akira whirled around, arms flying in all directions. "I gave you your space to mull things over, because I knew you would come back. Deep in my heart, I never doubted for a minute that you would come back. I have always believed in you and your Go."
"If you have always believed me, then why don't you believe me now?" Hikaru bit his lip.
"I," Akira paused as he watched Hikaru on the edge of another break down, "I told you, I believe you and yet I don't believe it." He sighed trying to reach the other teenager standing not five feet away from him. "I trust you, I'm just asking you to trust me for a bit. Give me some time to think." Hikaru's eyes shifted back to the living room where the goban rested. "I'm just asking for some time, then I promise I will return and we can go from there."
Hikaru did not say a word. The light that had shown so brightly from his eyes had vanished. Akira swore his heart had stopped functioning for a moment as in slow motion, Hikaru's mouth opened and closed with an unfamiliar sound echoing from them.
"Get out."
XXXXX
Waya was over at Isumi's when the phone call came in. They had been going through some previous kifu's studying for his upcoming match. He just missed the first call, it was an unknown number. With a shrug, he went back to the goban and Isumi, who gave him a quizzical look.
"Who called?"
"How the heck should I know?" Waya snapped annoyed, "It was an unknown number."
Suddenly, the phone in his hand rang urgently. Still angry, he picked up the phone. "Who is this?"
"Waya-san," an all too familiar voice came from the other end.
Instinctually, Waya closed his phone, staring in pure horror. There is no way that person could have his number. Isumi was flabbergasted as Waya turned his phone off.
"There is no way," Waya muttered, "Ah, don't mind me. Come on Isumi, it's you move."
"Waya, who was on the phone?" Isumi asked concerned, "What if it had been an emergency?"
Then the room erupted with music. However, neither teenager could not pinpoint where was it coming from. The music lurked through the apartment. Waya whirled around in horror as Isumi pulled out his cell phone.
"Moshi moshi," Isumi asked the caller in his usual joyous tone. "Ah, Touya-san, how are you? Waya? Hai he's here. What do you mean, you just called him?" Isumi paused, glaring at Waya with discontent. There was a pause of unbearable silence, Waya shook his head as Isumi's eyes darkened and he stated, "All right, I'll put him on." Isumi handed the phone to Waya, wrapping his hand around firmly. He bent into the redhead's ear whispering in a voice that sent chills down Waya's spine, "Touya Akira needs to talk to you about Hikaru. Be nice."
"Ah," Waya was speechless as he lifted the phone to his ear. Then a smile was plastered onto his face as he loudly talked into the mouth piece, "Ah, Touya-kun, what can I help you with?"
"I need you to visit Hikaru," Touya's voice was firm and filled with worry.
"Huh? What happened?"
"I don't have time to explain, just please could you and Isumi go over and check on him?" Touya asked quietly.
"Sure, but I would like a little bit more details, so I know how to handle the situation,"
Waya replied, turning away from the intimidating look Isumi was giving him.
"You're his friends," Touya whispered quietly, "isn't that enough?"
"Ah, I got it," Waya muttered, the game they had started was long forgotten.
"Arigatou," Touya replied.
"Touya, I'm going over because he is my friend. However, the next time you screw up your love-love relationship, I'm not going to Hikaru. I'm coming after you, is that clear?"
"Crystal," Touya politely replied. The line went dead as the called ended.
"I swear, I'm going to kill that kid," Waya growled, glaring darkly at Isumi's phone. Isumi had not said anything but had headed towards the entrance.
"After we see Hikaru right?" Isumi asked pulling on his shoes.
"Hai," Waya growled, roughly pulling on his shoes. "Let's see what he's gone and done now."
"Hai," Isumi sighed, locking the door to his apartment, while saying a silent prayer to the Gods of Go.
WR: Thank you for your support. I will try to get more out when I can. I am sorry about my lack of attention to other fics. However, I am currently doing my Master's thesis and trying to get finished by May, which means I will be extra busy in the following weeks. I will try not to disappoint you. That is why I have waited this long by bringing out two chapters back to back. I hope you review and give me some new ideas of where to go. Thank you and good night (bows gracefully).