! Important: Please read my Disclaimer (Chapter 1)

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Chapter 12

"So," Waya said, breaking the silence, "have you heard anything yet about the Kisei League, Shindou? Like who you'll be playing first or when?"

"All I've gotten so far is that I'm in Group A. They said that the rest of the information would be arriving shortly."

Frowning, Waya then looked up at the ceiling. "I wonder if you'll have to play Sensei."

Hikaru shrugged, memories of his game against Morishita back in January flooding forward. "Maybe. There's a lot of strong players in it though."

Waya nodded. "Yeah, like Zama Oza, Ogata Judan, Nogi Tengen, Serizawa 9 – Dan, umm, who else?"

"Touya's in it too." Hikaru then reached over and grabbed the most recent copy of Weekly Go and tossed it to Waya. "Here, the list is in there."

Catching the paper and opening it to the correct page, Waya began scanning the list. "Let's see… wow, everyone on this list is either a titleholder or a 9 – Dan except Kurata, Toya, and you. Of course Ichiryu's here, being the former Kisei before Ishibashi took it away from him. Yeah, good luck with all of these players." His voice going distant now, Waya added, "Still, it does sound like fun."

Hikaru nodded but remained silent. He could tell that his friend was envious, and he really couldn't blame him for it. The two had become pros together, yet he was now in the Kisei League while Waya was still struggling to get out of the 1st Preliminaries. Even Ochi had made it into the Honinbo 2nd Preliminary last year. It was frustrating for Waya, and Hikaru knew it. Still, there wasn't much he could say, not while he was playing in the Kisei League.

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"Hikaru, Nase's here." The voice of his mom broke his chain of thought.

Nase told him to his surprise to have played a game with Touya at his family's Go salon the other day. Hikaru just couldn't understand, why Touya chose to play a game with Nase of all people. But Nase said she didn't know why either. To test the strength of his rival's student, perhaps?

A little ways in Nase said, "After we finished playing, Touya mentioned that my play didn't really reflect Shusaku all that much as he would have thought." This brought Hikaru's eyes up from the board. "He said that since you study Shusaku all the time that he would have expected a little more of it to appear in my play." Nase paused, and Hikaru was beginning to worry slightly. It was only because Sai had played all of Shusaku's games, and he had played Sai all the time, that his own Go reflected Shusaku so much. "His comments confused me though since you and I have never studied a Shusaku game here in all of the lessons. In fact, I haven't even seen a Shusaku game record in here before."

At this Nase's eyes raised to meet Hikaru's, whose face was beginning to sweat slightly. This was not something he was very comfortable with, and really he wasn't even sure how he should, or even could, explain it. Finally he said, "Did you mention that to Touya?"

Nase nodded, having stopped placing stones now. "Yeah, I said that I'd never seen any game records of Shusaku over here, but that I'd never inquired either. He seemed really surprised by it too. Shindou I…" Nase cut herself short. Hikaru's face, it was sweating. Waya had mentioned to her when they had first started these lessons that Hikaru was surrounded in some sort of mystery, one that she might get dragged into if she wasn't careful. At the time she had just taken it as something stupid Waya had come up with to scare her, but now she wasn't so sure. Still, she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. "Never mind, now, about this move here that I made…"

Exhaling in relief, Hikaru returned his eyes to the goban. Still, his mind was on what she'd said, and what Akira would think now. Of all those around him, Akira had come the closest to the truth. This would only add to his desire to know the truth behind his strength, and while he had promised to tell Akira one day, this was not the time he had in mind. That could wait though, now was the time to focus on Nase and her game.

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"Really Hikaru, must you always go up there and look at that goban whenever you come over? I already told you that you can have it."

Making his way down the stairs from the loft, Hikaru answered, "No, that's ok Grandpa. The one you gave me is fine."

"My goodness," Heihachi Shindo replied, "just what do you expect to find up there, a ghost or something?"

Sighing slightly to himself, Hikaru paused a moment as he made his way across the yard and into the house. "…A ghost would be great, Grandpa!"

""Child, you are weird!" Walking off and returning a short minute later with a goban, Heihachi set the board down and said, "So, you're in the Kisei League now. Must be exciting."

Sitting down in front of the board, Hikaru shrugged. "I guess. Honestly I'm not sure if it's really sunk in yet, even though my friends can't stop asking me about it."

Sitting down now himself Heihachi inhaled. "I see. Well I'm sure you'll do just fine when the time comes. Now let's nigiri."

Frowning, Hikaru replied, "Oh come on Grandpa, we went over this the last time. I'm a pro, put down some stones. I won't tell anyone that you put down stones against me."

Smiling as he reached for the stones, Heihachi replied, "You don't get it Hikaru. It has nothing to do with other people knowing. I'll know, and I couldn't live with myself if I did that. You're my grandson, and always will be. Now nigiri."

Sighing as he reached for the stones, Hikaru then muttered, "You're just as stubborn as Akira."

Exchanging bowls so that he could play black, Heihachi then said, "So, you play often with this Touya boy?"

"Yes, weekly at his family's Go salon. It's much fun, you know, Grandpa, we play games after games and then discuss them…I mean…it's not like we have the same opinions about moves….but yeah, it's so much fun playing him!"

The pair then bowed and said, "Onegaishimasu."

Heihachi couldn't help noticing how the eyes of his grandchild dance with joy when he mentioned that Touya boy. Desiring a change of subject, he said, "So, what else have you been up to? Your mother mentioned something about a pretty young girl coming over to your house a lot lately."

Ka-chi.

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, that's Nase. I'm sort of helping her prepare for the Pro Exam. Well, that was why I had originally, but I'm not quite sure if it's more than that now."

Cocking his eyebrow, Heihachi responded, "Something more? Do you like this Nase girl, Hikaru? I mean…you sort of have a career now, it's not too soon for me to think about some grandchildren, you know."

"NO!" Hikaru shot back. "Damn Grandpa, not you too. I hear it enough from Waya and the others. Please give me a break. She's my friend and student, that's all."

"Why am I not so sure about that?" Heihachi laughed.

Ka-chi.

Hikaru placed a stone, ignoring his granda's remark.