Ka-Chi.

Ka-Chi. Ka-Chi.

Ka-Chi.

As stone struck wood again and again, Hikaru's mind seemed to focus even more. He had begun to push at Ogata hard, doing his best to bypass an extended moyo. That was what Ogata would want after all, to establish position early before getting into the thick of it. That was why he needed to keep pushing, force extra moves early by his opponent so that he could use them to set up his own position.

Ka-Chi.

Intensity flared off Hikaru as he played his stone, his eyes ablaze as it searched the board for the counterattack that he was sure Ogata was planning. Even if the game had only just begun, the current tempo favored Hikaru far too much for it to have been against Ogata's desire. If Ogata was allowing him to play like this, then there had to be something behind it. After all, while some players might have allowed it out of fear of their opponent, Ogata was not one to fear any challenge.

Ka-Chi. Ka-Chi.

Ka-Chi.

Where was it though, the turning point that Ogata was waiting for? While it was true that Ogata was likely fatigued from his recent battle against Hatanaka, such fatigue shouldn't have been showing this early in a match. Of course the board had yet to indicate an advantage as rarely did such things truly appear so early between top players. What decided the early lead were often tempo and position rather than territory, and the only one of those that Hikaru had full control over at the moment was tempo.

Hikaru was well aware that Akira had struggled against Ogata due to a lack of aggression early on, that he had allowed Ogata to play as he liked for a majority of the first half of the match. While Ogata was a player that Akira might feel fear in facing, Hikaru did not share that trait, at least with this opponent. After all, Hikaru had only seen Ogata truly play a sober game once, when he played Akira two weeks ago.

Ka-Chi. Ka-Chi.

Frowning as he moved to play his own stone in response, Hikaru's attention began to focus on one section of the board. So that was his strategy, to get him to commit into that area too deeply, to get swept away in his own attack until he found his stones cut off. Well he'd just have to see about that.

Ka-Chi.

Sitting back in his seat now, Hikaru watched the board as Ogata made his own move. The setup here was crucial, and as much as he hated to surrender his current pace, it was better to take his time and see the entire thing through. There wasn't room for defeat after all, not with this game. He would not lose though, could not lose, not after last night. Sai had come to him, had given him hope, support, perhaps even his blessing. With Sai on his side, he could not lose.

Ka-Chi.

There, that was the best play. He'd just take this next series with some caution and let Ogata's position in that corner worsen. The longer he kept that trap open the harder it would be for Ogata to recover, and Ogata had to know it. So it was time to see how his opponent would respond. Watch me Sai, I will defeat him. I can feel it, you're watching this game today, aren't you?

Gazing down at the board as he continued to wait for Ogata's reply, Hikaru's thoughts began to drift slightly, his hand slowly reaching up to touch just under his eye once more, memories of earlier returning to him.

###

Flexing his right hand as Ogata played a tenuki off to the right side of the board, Hikaru took a moment to evaluate the situation once more and then played his own stone.

Ka-Chi.

So Ogata had realized that he wasn't about to fall for the trap and had taken the opportunity to play elsewhere. Well, it wasn't like Hikaru was that surprised, Ogata wasn't weak enough to try beating a failed attempt with a stick. He could move to shore up the rest of the corner, but that position was fairly secure already. Best to play away as well to keep Ogata from setting up his position elsewhere once Ogata made his own move. Likely Ogata would move to try and establish a position on one of the edges, create some sort of moyo with these extra moves.

That was fine of course, Hikaru was willing to let that go in exchange for the prize he had just gained out of the failed trap. In fact, now that he thought about it Ogata was sort of getting his wish right now. Sai was with him, living in the Go he played, and if Ogata could just see that then perhaps he could gain some sort of solace from it all.

Ka-Chi.

Ka-Chi.

There, first he'd tenuki to give him some influence on the upper edge before coming back around to overtake that stone. It was possible of course for Ogata to attempt to save that stone, but if he did then Hikaru would be quite content to continue to establish his own position across the board.

Ka-Chi.

A two-spaced jump, that was interesting. The move was a strong one, but it also required Ogata to have true confidence in his own skills. After all, while a one-space jump couldn't be separated on the fourth line or below, a two-spaced jump was another matter all together. No, there had to be a reason for it, he wouldn't try two bad moves in a row.

As Hikaru's mind played out the various scenarios however no answer seemed to appear before him. Perhaps he was looking at it the wrong way, after all it would take him some effort to separate the two stones, and if Ogata gave up at the right time perhaps he could force a favorable position. So then, did he move to separate the two stones, or guard against a possible invasion, allowing the stones to connect?

Ka-Chi. Ka-Chi.

Ka-Chi.

As Ogata's stone detached from his fingers Hikaru's eyes began to widen. He could play there? Would it work, could he survive with a position like that? Scanning the board once more, Hikaru closed his eyes in relief. No, it wouldn't work, not unless…

The blood in Hikaru's veins froze as his eyes shot open and he once more looked over the board. How could he have missed it? Heck, if Hikaru wasn't careful it was liable to spread out into the center as well. It was a small victory in position as the game was still quite young and territory had yet to truly form outside of the lower right corner, but in terms of tempo and control, it was huge. The pace of the game, not to mention sente, now belonged to Ogata.

Gazing on as the game continued to progress, Isumi struggled to grasp the mindset of both of the players before him. Hikaru had been as aggressive as ever in the beginning, and Isumi expected no less from a player who wielded his skill like a war-hammer, smashing his opponent down with each blow delivered. Ogata however was hard to read, his game seeming to move with Hikaru's at first and then out of nowhere transform into another style completely. He had started the game playing a brand of power Go that was much like Hikaru's own style, then changed over to a more subtle style that seemed to throw Hikaru off his own tempo. Truly, it was quite evident that Ogata was a master of the game.

His strategy in the lower right had been brilliant, using the dead group there as a weapon to gain position. It took a level of skill to not only see a dead group as a weapon like that, but to properly pull it off without the opponent seeing it. Hikaru had seen it of course, but too late for him to completely save himself. It was strange really, Hikaru was the one to always see things like that.

Turning his attention to his right to observe the other master Go player, Isumi's eyes focused in on Kuwabara's expression. His head leaning forward slightly as he watched the match unfold, Isumi was especially intrigued by the slight smile crossing the Honinbo's lips, as if he were watching something that he found to be quite amusing. What did Kuwabara think of this match? The Honinbo's insights would be deep, his gaze into the depths of both the game and the soul of each player keen. Memories of his Shinshodan match coming to the surface, Isumi's eyes lowered as he thought of the fear he'd felt while facing the wise old Honinbo. Would that feeling return when he arrived at the higher levels of these tournaments, or would he find the same boldness that Hikaru showed.

Returning his gaze to the board now, Isumi had to wonder, did Hikaru feel nervousness or fear now? Did he ever feel fear during a match like this? If he was, his face wasn't giving any hint of it, nor was the aura about him that Isumi could still make out, even off to the side like this. It was hard to tell right now, the game was so close, a dead heat like two athletes sprinting down the track neck and neck. And there was still so much more Go to play.

Bzzzzzzzzzt!

Glancing at his watch Isumi saw what the alarm had already signaled, that it was time to break for lunch. It would be Ogata's move coming back from the break, and as Isumi rose from his seat he noticed that while Ogata had fixed his jacket while rising to his feet, Hikaru had remained stationary, his eyes focused on the board as if he had not even heard the buzzer. The rest of the room save Ogata paused as they watched Hikaru sitting there motionless as the Judan meanwhile made his way out of the room.

Moving to stare down at the board himself now, Isumi had to marvel at what he saw upon it. Certainly Hikaru's blunder down in the lower right had hurt him, but he had stayed strong ever since and pushed Ogata hard. The current position put Ogata slightly ahead, but this was far from over.

Turning his gaze to his friend as at last Hikaru closed his eyes, turned and rose from his seat, Isumi had to admit that there was something different in Hikaru from moments ago. It was as if observing the board these last few moments had told him something important, brought an epiphany of truth to his consciousness. What was worrisome however was the fact that as it had occurred Isumi swore that the fire in Hikaru's eyes had dimmed ever so slightly. It was likely that he'd just been mistaken, but if he had seen it correctly then only question remained, why?

###

Cackling as he took a seat in the monitor room and pulled out a cigarette, Kuwabara turned his gaze off towards the door where Amano was entering behind him and said, "So Amano, what do you think of the game so far?"

Taking a seat across from the Honinbo as he reached for his own cigarettes, Amano replied, "It seems like quite the battle so far. Ogata–sensei seems to be in control right now, but Shindo is certainly putting up a valiant fight."

"Yes," Kuwabara replied as he took a deep puff from his cigarette, "this game is just getting interesting, neither player has really turned it up yet."

Cocking an eyebrow as he drew out his notepad, Amano inquired back, "Well it certainly would be good to see Shindo overcome Ogata-sensei. Shindo's momentum has begun to garner a lot of support out there in the Go world. People are beginning to turn and look at him."

"Feh," Kuwabara grunted in annoyance, "if you think those things have any effect on this game today then I've lost respect for you Amano. Those two right now, you can tell that this is far more personal than something like glory or recognition from others."

Pausing just as he was about to take a puff from his own cigarette, Amano lowered his hand and responded, "Are you saying that they aren't concerned about their ranking in the Kisei League?"

Chuckling as if to some unheard joke, Kuwabara answered, "Well I'm sure that if you asked them about it they'd say it matters, but I can assure you that once they're before that board anything beyond this game is not in the least bit on their minds. Each one wants to destroy the other, nothing more."

Nodding his head in concession of that point, Amano began to scribble down notes on his pad. As he did so he added, "So perhaps this bet is playing into the match more than everyone thought."

His own eyebrow rising at these words, a slight surprise slipping across Kuwabara's face for a moment before disappearing once more, the Honinbo replied, "A bet?"

"Yes," Amano answered, raising his eyes up from his notepad, "The bet that's reported to have been made between Shindo and Ogata-sensei. No one knows what the terms are, but it brought a little extra spice to the build up to this match. Some think it's just money, others some sort of service or favor. Honestly I had figured it was just a small side thing."

Nodding his head as he gazed down at the table as if no longer paying Amano any mind, Kuwabara then let out a loud cackle as a grin swept over his face. "Well that explains a lot. Yes, interesting, interesting…"

His eyes widening at Kuwabara's words, Amano pushed his glasses back up his nose slightly then said, "Are you saying you know what the bet is Kuwabara-sensei?"

Chuckling at the question, Kuwabara shook his head and answered, "Nah, well not exactly anyway. I'll say this though, you and your fellow guessers are way off. Whatever the bet is for, it's most certainly for something that each of them treasure more than anything else. Yes, to bet everything, put it all on the line, that's how they're playing right now."

Turning to look at Amano fully now, Kuwabara gave him a knowing and mischievous grin and wink, then added, "I'll tell you what though Amano, my money… it's on the kid."