Kiba's Note: For the next four - YES, four!?!?! - one-shots, I would like to apologize if anything happens to get confusing. I went on a writing spree just out of the blue. Nines straight hours of typing and talking to my sister, who insisted that I play chess with her. Sadly to say, my sister is not very good at chess. She lost fifteen times in a row, but I let her win after that simply because she was getting mad at my smug behavior. So, I do apologize for that - the confusing parts, I mean. I tried to not get my thoughts jumbled up, but it happened anyway. So, onto the one-shots!
Title: Cheaters Never Win
Summary: Mitani Yuki has gone back to his cheating ways, and when he's faced off against Kagome he finds that he's struck by her beauty. However, she said it herself, 'cheaters never win'.
Pairing: Yuki/Kagome
Manga: Hikaru no Go/IY
Mitani Yuki tossed the black stone into the air, smirking as he faced off against his opponent. His moves were fast and fluid, making it hard to see the moves that he was secretly making off to the side in order to capture his opponent's stones. He was playing for money, after all, and since he'd quit that stupid Go Club at school—once they'd had enough players to continue without him—he'd decided that it was time to earn some money. So, he'd found a different Go Salon from the one he'd been gaining money at before, and now here he sat, eyeing the elder man who'd bet him 50,000 yen. He wasn't one to lose that much money.
His grin faltered for only a moment, thinking about the fact that he couldn't pay the old man back if he lost. Better reason to cheat, in his opinion. If he won then he got all the money, if he lost others might find out that he was cheating, kick him out, or he'd have to cheat more in order to earn the money within a small amount of time to repay the guy. That would tell others that he had been playing without any ways of paying in the first place.
That would not go well in the end.
Yuki's grin grew before the old man could notice, making sure that he didn't think he was losing the edge he currently had. After all, that would only give the old man the thought that he might be able to win, or perhaps notice that his eyes flickered just a bit when he moved a piece, quick a lightning.
No one else was watching them, except a young girl around his age, staring at the board with a lusty look, almost like she couldn't wait to play herself. He didn't care; he'd play her if she wished to play for more, though she didn't look like the type to. However, she did look like the type to have money, with that blood red dress, which looked to be of an expensive Chinese design, with silver sakura blossoms that were imprinted on the end. She was very pretty, and though looks weren't everything he might have even said she was beautiful.
The elderly man across from him seemed to notice the looks he was giving the girl, and smiled knowingly. His voice was low enough so the girl wouldn't hear, as he said, "You seem to be quite interested in that young lady. Perhaps that will cause your focus to concentrate more on her and less on our game, thus snatching victory away from your grasp."
Yuki scowled, saying, "What do you know?" He played his move, quickly and without much effort, also moving a single stone while the man diverted his attention to his bowl, which contained his pieces. Once again he lifted a stone out of his own and began tossing it into the air, his eyes flickering only a few times to the girl, making sure that he knew where the old man played.
"A lot more than you would think, young man," the elderly man said.
Rolling his eyes, Yuki played after the old man did, once more sneaking a glance at the girl. The guy obviously didn't know what he was talking about, since there was no way he would like some girl over money. Hell, she looked like the type to go to Kaio Middle School, since she didn't look like a Haze student, or any of the other schools. She just looked like a person that could afford to go there, probably did, too. She was probably from preppy girl who thought she was all that and would win every game she played. If she played him, well, he'd just have to teach her that that wasn't true.
The old man sighed, looking down at the board again. He reached up, smiling sadly, "Well, I know when I'm beat. You've got some talent, young man; I'll give you that. I guess I shouldn't have thought my talents would be better than yours because of age." He smiled, "I now almost regret that I decided to bet so much, but you should never bet or give away what you're not willing to lose."
Yuki smirked, leaning backwards in his chair at an angle, crossed his legs and arms, and gave the girl standing close by a look as she finally moved toward the board. Their eyes connected, and she fluttered her eyelids as she came to stand next to him. "Do you want to play?" Yuki asked, staring up at her as the old man counted out the money he'd bet. He watched the girl nod, and asked, "What's your name?"
"Higurashi Kagome," she replied. "You?"
"Mitani Yuki," he said, bowing his head as she did. The old man continued to fish out the money, but Yuki didn't seem to notice any of this, his eyes staring straight into her blue ones. He wasn't one to usually pay attention to something other than something he needed or wanted, but he decided to be a polite as he could.
She seemed very innocent to him.
"Well," the elderly man said, "I'll leave you two alone."
Kagome smiled, sitting down in the seat across from him. She began helping him clear the board, humming softly as she did. She turned her eyes to the boy she was going to play against, she was sure it would be for money, and tapped her foot subconsciously. "So, Mitani-san, what school do you go to?" she asked.
"Yuki," he said. "I go to Haze."
"Oh, I go to Kaio," she smiled, "Yuki-san." She made sure to correct herself, knowing that it would probably bother him a little the way she drew it out. However, she simply continued to smile, glancing around the board as if she was already beginning the game with herself.
He'd just known. There was just something about her that screamed Kaio Middle School! He almost wanted to smirk, though, since he knew that meant she would be able to play him for money instead of a simple game. Who knew, maybe she would be a better opponent than the old guy. True, he'd cheated, but he could have beaten him without his extra skills. Still, he wondered just how much he could weasel out of her by the end of the game. Perhaps continuing to add to the bet might be a good thing, but then she might begin to think he was up to something. However, it didn't mean that he still wasn't going to try something.
"So, Yuki-san," Kagome asked, "do you want to bet money on this game as well?"
"What?" Yuki blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected her to outright ask him for such a thing. Usually people got up and simply left once they learned he wasn't playing for the love of the game. He needed the money; he wasn't there just to play.
"I noticed that you bet money against your other opponent, the elder," she said. "I just thought that you always played like that."
He scowled, "Are you trying to say that I'm poor and need to play in order to make money?"
She shook her head, "No, no, that's not what I meant at all!" She gasped at how she must have sounded, before trying again. "Most play the same way most of the time. I just thought that you liked betting money in order to make the game more interesting for the winner. I didn't mean to offend you, Yuki-san."
"Whatever," Yuki said. He dug his hand into the black bowl, "Choose for color. Odd or even?" She chose even, and being right she got to be black; not that he cared, but he'd wanted to be black. "So, how much are you willing to bet?"
"A thousand yen," she said flatly.
"A thousand, that's it?" Yuki grinned. "That's interesting. Usually people have so much confidence that they start betting really high amounts that can get ridiculous."
She smiled, "You shouldn't lend or bet anything you're not willing to lose." She was looking him straight in the eye, knowing that he wasn't paying attention, and flicked her eyes only for a moment to play her move. She watched his head snap down to the board to see her piece there. She smiled, saying, "Just like you shouldn't waste time if you do not want to be left behind."
He snorted, "You sound like someone I used to know."
"Oh," she said. She didn't know whether this person was alive or not, so she didn't go to into it. "I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable. I spend a lot of time with my grandfather at our family shrine."
"Shrine?" he asked, placing his own piece down.
"Yes. The Higurashi Shrine, or the Sunset Shrine as its better known," Kagome, replied. She caught his eye once more, knowing that he had been watching her from the top of his eyes. Almost like he couldn't keep his eyes off her, which made her want to blush. She quickly played another move, only briefly glancing at the board in order to make her move. She had perfected this way of playing, which was very helpful since she could easily get someone into a conversation and play a move. However, she wasn't that mean and she kept her fingers on the piece that she played in order to show them where her last piece has been played.
"Never heard of it," he said. He glanced down at where her perfectly manicured nails were lightly tapping at the last piece she'd played. Not like it mattered, they were so far in the beginning that he would have known exactly where she played anyway. She was probably just one of those people, though.
He watched as she shook her head, before saying, "I didn't think you would have. Its quite a walk from here." He wondered for a moment why this Kaio girl could be so nice. Sure, they were all pretty and whatnot, but she seemed different. She didn't seem stuck up like he thought they all would be, and she was smiling almost like she couldn't wait to see tomorrow. Like she knew the sun was going to rise and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
They continued to play, him smirking when he noticed that she didn't even see his quick movements in order to change her pieces with his. What he didn't see, though, was her eyes flicker toward that spot whenever he did, slightly narrowing each time. Almost like she was watching him, but he was merely staring into her bright eyes, wondering for a moment what had gotten into him. She was just another stupid girl, and money was his one true love, so why couldn't he stop looking at her?
Kagome narrowed her eyes, watching as Yuki's suddenly widened upon her change in mood. One thing continued to rush through her mind as she suddenly began making faster, smoother, and pro-like moves. She glowered at him, her blue eyes looking like they'd changed black from her anger. How dare he cheat! I'll show him, she thought, quickly playing another move without leaving her fingers as an indicator to where she'd last played.
He was amazed by this sudden change. She barely glanced at the board yet she played excellent moves, moves that probably could rival that of Toya Meijin. Her eyes seemed to glow with a light that he'd seen from many Go players trying to achieve the 'Divine Move', while her hand was quick as lightning. It was obvious she was no longer playing around with him, and he quickly pulled a piece off the board when he played his next move. He frowned, though; he heard her stone click and noticed she'd captured eight of his stones.
They continued this way until finally Kagome stood up, knocking her chair over and causing a couple of people to jump. Her eyes were still glowing with the eerie light while she began digging through her hidden pocket for her wallet. Without much effort she opened up the packed wallet and pulled out a thousand yen, slamming it against the table. She scowled at him, stomped away, and the sound of the bell on the door was heard as she left.
Yuki sat in confusion, wondering what had just happened. He'd been staring at her hair, thinking that she would mind if he suddenly reached over and touched it to see if it was as soft as it looked. When he heard the tinkling of the bell, though, he quickly stuffed the money he'd won into his pocket, and rushed out the door after her. He ignored the fact that the owner was yelling at him to clear the board, quickly spotting Kagome's dress.
He gripped the front of his shirt when he realized there was an ache at the thought of her getting away. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't get her image out of his head. He moved toward her, bumping into people as they shouted at him to be more careful. Every once in a while he'd quickly mutter an apology, but most of the time he merely push the person so that he could continue on his way. Kagome, he noticed, was merely zigzagging around people like they were nothing but small obstacles that she didn't wish to touch.
Jogging after her, Yuki wondered exactly what he was doing. It was obvious she'd either gotten angry with him, or she'd seen that he was cheating. He hoped she hadn't. Somehow he just hoped that she hadn't because of something. It was confusing and irritating and he wanted nothing more than to shout in her face, hit her, or do something in order to make her stop making him feel what he was feeling.
People scowled and quickly moved out of his way as he past by, almost like they hated that he was running on the sidewalk. He didn't pay any attention to them, just as he hadn't paid any attention to the owner where they'd played Go. It wasn't his concern about what they thought at that moment, he wanted what he wanted and he was going to get it. Just like he managed to con people out of so much money. Except her; it was almost like she'd known what he was doing.
He continued after her, wondering how she was moving so fast in her clothing. He knew she was probably still angry, but he watched as after a short while she finally began to slow, her shoulders slumping in defeat. He still had quite some distance before he would actually catch her, but something within him demanded that he get the answers out of her. Why she'd reacted that way when she'd quit.
Scowling to himself, he sped up, watching as she looked up a long set of stairs, obviously intending to climb them once she set her foot on the first one. He was running by the time he finally caught up to her, quickly bounding up the stairs she was easily heading up. "Hey, wait a minute," he shouted, hoping that she'd stop and wait for him. He didn't know why, he just wanted to talk to her for some stupid reason.
Kagome stiffened, turning back to the boy who'd been cheating during their game. She narrowed her eyes at him, silently wondering why he'd followed her this far. Did he expect her to not have noticed him cheating? Did he suddenly want to apologize for his disrespect for the game? Or did he simply wish to rub it in her face, saying that she'd never be able to beat him and to never come near him again? Perhaps he wished to hit her for being so rude…? If that were the case, though, he'd soon find that she knew a thing or two about fighting. She wasn't the common push over.
Yuki sighed in relief, finally coming to a stop in front of her on the stairs, just a step below. Leaning over, placing his hands onto his knees in order to keep himself up, he breathed deeply to catch his breath. The girl could move, obviously used to long distance traveling, and speed walking from the look of things. "I… I wanted to know why you suddenly just…" he wasn't sure how to say what he wanted to ask her.
"Why I suddenly walked out on you?" Kagome finished, continuing to glare at him.
Nodding, he straightened himself to look into her eyes. "Yeah, I mean, you just suddenly snapped and I wanted to know if you were alright." He stopped, "I know you look alright, but… um…"
Kagome rolled her eyes, "You expect me to answer you?" She made sure to draw out the last word, showing him just how deep her displeasure ran. She didn't take kindly to cheating. It was disrespectful and rude. It tarnished every game that the person used such methods in, obviously not confident in their own abilities to win. "Especially after what you did?"
"What?" he was confused. He wasn't sure why, he was positive he should have known what she was talking about, but he was confused. Not entirely, but enough to actually allow it to reach his eyes, showing her that he didn't understand. Perhaps on some level, but not at the moment.
"Don't act so innocent," Kagome snapped. "I know for a fact you were cheating. If I wasn't so nice I would have shouted it out in the shop, or perhaps demanded that you paid me instead of me paying you. Its not fair that you decided to cheat simply because you needed or wanted the money. Its… its sickening."
He stayed silent, blinking as she continued to rant about how he shouldn't have done such a thing. He stood straighter, becoming angrier with every word that left her mouth. He wanted to hit her, but he knew that he couldn't hit a girl. That would be even worse than the fact that he'd cheated during their game of Go. "What do you know, anyway?" he hissed.
"I know that cheaters never win!" Kagome shouted. "Someday you might understand that, Yuki-san, but for now I hope you get satisfaction out of your actions. I'm sure that it won't last very long."
He watched as she turned and marched up the stairs muttering about stupid boys and their stupid ways. He huffed, glaring at her back, before turning and walking away. There was no way he was going to stay there! She could do whatever she wanted, but he was going to make sure he stayed as far away from her as he could. "Cheaters never win," he mocked, his voice strained and angry.
A cold feeling spread through his body when he turned to look back toward the shrine she'd headed toward. He shook it away, however, huffing at her stupid words and her stupid actions. He'd done nothing wrong. Still, he had to wonder if she'd allow him to play her again if he didn't cheat again. If she'd allow him to get to know her if…
He stopped his line of thought, narrowing his eyes when he thought he saw her staring down at him for a moment. Once more he grew angry with her, deciding at that moment he'd do everything in his power to completely ignore her. Though he felt like he was tearing himself up inside. He didn't know why he'd suddenly felt like he wanted to know her, but he didn't want to know.
She could take her stupid words and stuff it. Yuki nodded to himself, even though he wasn't sure if what he was doing was for the best. She could believe whatever she wanted to, but he wasn't going to change for her or for anyone else!
So, Yuki turned away in hopes that he'd never have to think of her again. Deep down, though, he did take her words to heart. Even if she'd never know it.
--Fin