"Ok Mom, I'm off!"

"Take care Hikaru, and good luck today."

Stepping through the doorway of his house and breathing in the fresh morning air, Hikaru smiled and began to make his way up the walkway to the street. Today was the day, his second Kisei League match. His game against Kuwabara seemed so far away now, like a dream that faded in his memory as time moved ahead. All the moves played were still locked in his brain, the feel of the stones fresh on his fingers, but the thrill of the whole experience seemed to have left him. Perhaps that was how it was with all truly great games, or perhaps he'd remember the feeling once the League ended and it was all behind him.

That was fine, because at the moment Ichiryu was before him, not behind, and he had to stay focused. He'd seen Akira's game against Ichiryu in the Honinbo League, and after having Akira recreate his first Kisei League match against Ichiryu he had a fair idea of what to expect. Honestly he was surprised Akira had been able to come back from that match to win given the skill he knew Ichiryu had to possess. After all, he was the previous holder of the Kisei title, and had held it for several years. He was on the same level as Kuwabara and Koyo Toya, a true master of Go.

It was that fact that made Akira's comeback all the more surprising to him. Perhaps Waya had been right, that Ichiryu was in a slump that he seemed to be struggling to break. There had been times as an insei where Hikaru too had felt the pain and frustration that a slump caused. In those times he had sought just one win, anything to turn the tide and remove the pain of defeat. While it was true that Ichiryu was still winning games here and there, on the larger stages he appeared to be faltering in games where the pressure to succeed was the greatest.

Waya had been talking the other day as if this match would be far easier than his last one; that the slump would make Hikaru's victory all the simpler to accomplish. Such ideas though were far from Hikaru's own mind. The slump didn't make Ichiryu easier to defeat; it made him more dangerous. Hikaru paused a moment and closing his eyes took a deep breath. Exhaling, he then opened his eyes as he felt his mind beginning to focus, sharpening as if to become the very edge of a razor. This was not going to be easy.

###

Sitting patiently as he waited for the next move to be played, Waya stole a glance around the room. It was rather strange, seeing all these top pros sitting by watching. Well, maybe it wasn't so much the top pros sitting around watching a Kisei League match that was as strange as the two players playing in it were, or more precisely, the one.

Ka-Chi.

So that was Hikaru's move. Marking the move and time on the game record, Waya then glanced over at the only other person in the room whose intensity seemed anywhere near the two players. The newly minted Akira Toya 4 – Dan watched the game with a fervor in his eyes. Seeing Touya at Hikaru's matches was becoming routine nowadays. While it certainly reinforced the rivalry, Waya had a hard time figuring out why he would come to watch Hikaru play an opponent that he had already faced. Then again, perhaps it was to see how Hikaru would respond to the former Kisei.

Ka-Chi.

Interest in this game however had not just fallen to Akira, as both Serizawa 9 – Dan and Morishita had joined him. The latter had somewhat surprised Waya. While Hikaru may have been a part of Morishita's study group, it wasn't as if Morishita would come to his student's games to give support. That merely left the prospect that Morishita was also looking at Hikaru not as a student, but as a potential opponent he would need to better understand, despite all the time spent playing him in the study group. Hikaru had once mentioned that high level matches were different, an exotic and addictive drink that once tasted, would always be yearned for. So perhaps that was Morishita's reasoning, the need to watch Hikaru in true battle, not in some mock battle at a study group.

Ka-Chi.

Blinking, Waya moved to record the move. So now it began, a thrust like that was a clear attack on Ichiryu's position in the upper left corner. Taking another glance around the room, Waya's gaze paused on the only other observer at the match, Kosemura. It had seemed strange actually to Waya that Kosemura had been tapped to cover the match given Amano's familiarity with Hikaru and Akira. While this wasn't a direct match up between the two, it was a certain comparison between the two on how Hikaru would fare against Ichiryu given Ichiryu's previous loss to Akira. When Waya had inquired about it before the match though Kosemura had explained that he had been tapped as a back up given the chief's desire to have Amano cover the first match of the Meijin Finals that was currently being held at the Westin Nagoya Castle Hotel in Nagoya. Thus Amano would be unable to cover both matches, as the Meijin Title match would last two days.

Ka-Chi.

Now Hikaru was making an approach in an attempt to secure the right side of the board.

Ka-Chi.

Heh, so Hikaru was going to be persistent and continue the battle for control of the right side. It wasn't suicidal or anything, but it was likely he'd lose a point or two in the exchange. Yet as Akira watched, Hikaru continued to attack the side persistently. What was so important about that side that made Hikaru attack it so persistently? Already Ichiryu had taken several tenukis to begin securing central control along with an attack on Hikaru's stones there. Hikaru needed to respond, yet he seemed content to plug away at the right side.

This was not the Hikaru Akira knew, it was like watching him devolve into that same weak player from the Junior High Go Tournament. His fist tightening as he continued to watch, Akira struggled to maintain his composure and silence. It was infuriating, to see his rival, the person he respected so much as a Go player to use such… sloppy play. The game was still close of course, the pressing on the right side was earning him back points in the short term, but he'd soon lose any hope once Ichiryu secured the center.

It was true of course that defending against someone who relentlessly attacked, pushed in on positions like this, as if determined to take a stone, was quite frustrating. Still, without more finesse the attack would be less of a headache to a top pro and more of a slight irritation, one removed by the skill of the defense.

Ka-Chi.

There, so he finally was beginning to defend himself. What was wrong though? Could this be vanity, was Hikaru overconfident after beating Kuwabara and having seen his match against Ichiryu? No, Hikaru would not have given into such concepts, he had always played with a good sense of things, never rushing. Yet now…

Ka-Chi.

Akira blinked. That move, he'd seen something like it before, he knew it. Still, it was ill placed playing a diagonal there now, even if it would have been of benefit two moves ago. If Ichiryu was smart he'd take advantage of the weakness that Hikaru had given him, capture that stone and…

All at once Akira's eyes widened. It couldn't be, Hikaru would never try something like that. Yet still, it made sense now that he examined the board. But it would be ludicrous, impossible to pull off against such a seasoned pro, capable of reading ahead. Perhaps a lower Dan, one willing to jump in on a perceived wrong move might take that sort of bait, but not…

Ka-Chi.

Ichiryu had played for the capture, trying to gain the ponnuki. The center appeared to be going to him now, but that last move of Hikaru's, the stone was now… Memories flashed back into his mind, and moments later Akira was playing ahead, looking deeper into the game. Yes, it was there, assuming that Ichiryu didn't read ahead, the game dynamics would change. It wouldn't be enough to pull out a win outright, but it would make the game even. Of course if he played there first, forced Ichiryu to play there, then… Hikaru had it, but now he had to play flawlessly in the meantime to pull it off.

Ka-Chi.

There, that move was sharp, to the point, just like Hikaru. He was beginning to turn it up now. If he continued with moves like that, he'd be fine.

Ka-Chi.

As Ichiryu's stone hit the board the lunch buzzer sounded, calling an end to play for the time being. Rising from his seat, Ichiryu took one last glance down at the board, a smug, confident smile sliding across his face. This match, it felt good, and he was in position to take the victory, to make this the first match towards ending the slump that had been vexing him so much. Akira Toya might have been the bane to his game at the moment, but this boy was not as strong as Akira Toya. Still too green, making mistakes that were befitting a lower Dan, not a member of this league. Kuwabara had been wrong, this boy was not someone he need watch as he had warned. It must have just been his old age and lack of commitment that had caused Kuwabara to fall to this young pro.

At last he too rose from his seat and with one last glance at the board turned towards the door. As he made his way to the exit, ever so briefly Hikaru's eyes turned to his rival, and seeing the coy grin on Akira's face, Hikaru smiled too. Well it was to be expected; Akira had the same creative vision that Hikaru possessed after all.

Watching as the other player exited the room, the rest of the group now moved over to the board to look at the game more closely. Waya, having finished organizing the game record for after lunch, quickly joined them. Serizawa was first to comment. "This game is progressing quicker than Shindo's match against Kuwabara did. It appears he's gotten over his nervousness. Still, I don't understand his thinking, like here for example."

Waya nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking that too. I might have tried doing that move myself in this game, but looking at it from the outside it doesn't appear as strong. Maybe he's still a little nervous?"

Kosemura then inquired, "Morishita-sensei, what do you think? Shindo is a member of your study group correct?"

Nodding at the question, Morishita remained quiet for a moment, as if searching for something hidden, and then answered, "It's possible. Shindo is only fifteen, so he might very well have gotten carried away here, but I don't think so. I have played him many times in my study group after all, and seen his games against my other students as well. In all of those games, I cannot remember one where he got carried away or neglected the rest of the board without reason. I am not entirely certain what he is thinking, but I do know that of all the young players I have known, Shindo's ability to read ahead in the game exceeds them all. In that at least, he is even stronger than me."

Mouth widening slightly, Kosemura responded, "Ohh, such great praise for someone so young. So Shindo may have a chance after all?" He then turned to scribble down the quote on his notepad.

Nodding his head, Serizawa then added, "Yes, Shindo certainly still has a chance. This game is far from over, but he does have an uphill battle to fight. I don't know if a young pro can do it, but we will find out shortly."

Nodding to this as he smiled coyly, Akira turned towards the door himself now and said, "Indeed. I believe that the rest of this match after lunch will be quite interesting." Taking one last look at the board, his eyes focusing on that one spot, that one move of Hikaru's, Akira chuckled softly to himself and then turned to leave.