Title: Doushite?
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG-13
Part: Part 3
Disclamer and Traditional Warnings...
This fanfiction takes place right after the end of Hikaru no Go:
Volume 15. Due to the rating you can expect Mild Shounen-Ai,
and my paring of choice is Hikaru x Akira. This story is my own
and will hope that no one posts it else where without my permission.
Also, just in case you're wondering, 'doushite' means 'why.'
DOUSHITE?
Part 3: WHAT?
Warmth could be felt all around as Hikaru walked down the
sidewalk. He clenched his fist and smiled. 'The return to the go
world...' How he had missed it!
A week had passed since his confrontation with Touya and it
had been a week since they'd talked. Hikaru had seen him today at
the go center. They had been in that same room... breathing the same
air... But Touya had refused to look his way. Well, that would not
be exactly true. Hikaru had felt his glances –could not pretend that
the tension had not been there.
"ARGH! Why couldn't he wait for my game to end?!" he said
aloud.
"What are you talking about Hikaru?"
He blinked and turned around. "Akari?" he enunciated slowly.
"Baka." She smiled as she walked up to him. "Are you talking
to yourself again?"
Hikaru's cheeks puffed a little as he said childishly, "No."
Akari bit her lip and threw him a side glance. "Where are you
headed?"
"I was hungry so I wanted to get some ramen."
Her eyes lit up. "Mind if I come with you?"
Green eyes watched the red-haired girl carefully. "Sure," he
said as he began to walk. "You can do what ever you want."
Happily, Akari fell into step -her orange eyes fleetingly
looking at him. The truth had been that while she may not have shown
it much over the past couple of weeks, she had been very worried about
her friend. A sense of relief washed over her. Somehow, he seemed
better... happier...
Her smile became forlorn. While she was glad that he had
gotten out of his rut, she wished she could have done something to
help him. Maybe she should invite him to the go club at school?
Mitani was now playing regularly with them, so there was no fear
that he'd storm out. She lowered her head, looking at her feet
and the steps she took. Why did Hikaru seem so distant now?
"Hey! Where are you going?"
Akari looked up and back at Shindo. He was standing at the
entrance of the shop and giving her a strange expression. She smiled
sheepishly as she hurried over to him. In her dazed state she had
walked right past it. "Hehe..." she said as she hurried through.
Hikaru let the door close behind him. "You know, you're
acting pretty strange." They sat down at a table. "Are you feeling
alright?"
"Of course I am!" she replied indignantly. Taking charge, she
looked at the waitress and ordered two bowls of ramen. "You're the
one that's been acting weird lately. Why did you skip classes today?"
He let a broad smile shape his lips. "I had a match today."
Her eyes grew wide. "You're playing again?!"
He accepted the bowl. "Yeah," and broke his chopsticks.
"Itadakimasu~"
Her chest hurt as she watched Hikaru take the first bite.
"Itadakimasu." She whispered as an afterthought, before bringing
the warm noodles up for a taste. In her thoughts, scenes past kept
replaying. 'Touya-kun had shown up too...' Akari's eyes wandered
towards the shop's window. 'What had been his reason... What did
they talk about... and why was she letting it bother her?'
"SHINDO!"
Akari and Hikaru looked over towards the round incoming man.
Immediately, the young boy stood from his seat and smiled.
"Kurata-san!"
The pro neared the couple. "Eating ramen with a pretty girl?"
he grabbed a chair and sat himself at their table. "Mind if I join you?"
Shindo made a sour face. "I'm not paying for you."
Atsushi looked over towards the girl. "Is he always this
cheap?" He watched as she just shook her head and let a giggle
escaped her lips. The waiter came and he placed his order, his sharp
eyes catching the way Shindo sulked. "So... I heard you're back."
The smile was brought back to life. "Yeah," he said, pure
confidence oozing out from him. "I'll never quit go."
"That's good to hear." He said accepting his dish. "You
still have to play me in an official game after all."
"Anou..." Akari's timid voice broke the comfortable mood.
"I'm sorry but, who are you?"
"WHAT?!" The large man's small eyes grew wide as he stared
in disbelief at the girl. "You don't know who I am?"
Inwardly, Hikaru could do nothing but smile as he recalled
the moment when he too had not known who this man was. However, when
he watched Akari shake her head, the mirth just bubbled up inside of
him, and soon his rich laughter could be heard everywhere within the
restaurant.
"It's not a laughing matter!" the man retorted. "Hey
waitress," he called as he raised his hand for attention. "Do
you happen to have a fan?"
"Don't bother!" Hikaru waived the request indifferently.
"She won't want it."
"Akari placed her hands on the table. "Want what? And who
says I won't?!" She turned to stare at the new comer. "My name is
Fujisaki Akari." She even gave a little bow. "Nice to meet you."
"Kurata Atsushi-san. Soon to be Honinbo,"
"YEAH RIGHT!"
Both turned to look at Hikaru... both sticking their tongues
out at him. He let a heavy sigh escape his lungs and rolled his eyes.
This had just become the longest lunch break he had ever taken.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You know right?" Kurata said as they exited the establishment.
Hikaru stopped and looked back. "Know what?"
"About your game with Touya."
Her chest throbbed again, and Akari could not help the
involuntary raise of her hand to her heart. Her eyes were alert
as they tried to decipher all the expressions that flew by his face.
They caught the way he held his breath, the way his eyes wandered
slightly to no where in particular, but they were mostly intent on
the way the gently said, "Yeah... I know."
"You know, you two make a pretty cute couple." Kurata laughed
as he began to walk away. "Sorry if I messed up your date."
Panic and a noticeable blush strung out every nerve ending
in Hikaru's face as he instantaneously yelled back, "That- That's
not true!!"
While the embarrassment of the lie had caused her face to be
tainted with a flush, the blunt negation by Hikaru had stung her
emotionally and caused all color to drain quickly. Not knowing how
to stop herself, her hand flew out and struck her classmate across
the cheek leaving a nasty imprint. "BAKA!" she screamed -the glimmer
of tears brimming from her eyes as she turned away and ran off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He placed another stone on the goban –sharp blue eyes studying
each move with detached calmness. Now that his match was over, he
could concentrate on the problem that had been nagging him ever since
he had let Shindo slip from his fingers. The reconstruction of the
game between them had given him food for thought. It had been the
start of a wonderful battle and the fact that it was unfinished had
kept him up most of the nights.
"Kuso," he swore as he realized how affected he had been by
his rival's emotional state. Had it been anyone else he would have
shown no mercy and played the game to its end. He placed another
stone on the board and suddenly, his eyes began to widen.
'Sai...' It was there, on the board: The Hikaru he had played
in the past, and the Sai who had beaten his father. No trace was left
of the boy who had disappointed him in the school tournament... it was
almost as if he had never existed. 'But, it couldn't be...'
"Akira-san?"
He looked up to see his mother peeking into the room from the
door. "Hai?"
Her eyes traveled the board. 'Like father like son,' she
thought, smiling to herself. "Kurata-san is here to see you."
"Kurata-pro?" He turned to glimpse at his clock. "Oh! I
forgot about the time." He stood from his seat and followed his
mother to the living room.
The man stood up. "Touya…"
The young boy bowed respectfully. "Kurata-san."
"Congratulations on your win today," he said as he took his
seat again. "Touya-sensei sure must be proud. After all, you're
already in the Honinbo League..."
Akira kept quiet for a moment before he sat down. "Thank you,"
he replied politely.
"I swear, the new wave sure is impressive," Kurata continued.
"You're already so far ahead and with the way Shindo returned, it seems
as if he hadn't even dropped a level..."
'Shindo...' Touya thought, remembering that morning's match.
'His face had been so set on his game, on his opponent…' he could even
recall the sharpness with which the boy's graceful hand had placed his
stones.
"...I saw him today."
Akira looked up. "Huh?"
"Yeah," Kurata said as he smiled. "I ran into him and his
girlfriend at the ramen shop."
His blood stopped flowing, and he could feel as his heartbeat
came to a near halt. "Girlfriend?" he managed to croak out from his
suddenly fry throat.
"Yes." The man took a sip of the tea Touya's mother had
brought for them. "You know, I think there's hope for him yet.
She's actually quite pretty. She has straight red hair and pretty
orange eyes."
"A- Akari?"
"Yeah," he said impressed. "Do you know her?"
If he had the power to turn invisible, to have the earth
swallow him whole, he would use it right now for the pain he was
feeling in his chest was becoming unbearable. "Yes," he admitted
lowering his head, afraid Kurata-san might see the tears he felt
would soon appear. "She's a classmate of his."
"I wonder what she sees in that kid?" the pro added jokingly.
"All I ever thought he breathed was go."
"Yeah…" The pain in Akira's chest was getting stronger. "I
wonder too." His hands closed into fists. 'Why was it becoming
more difficult to breathe? Why did he feel as if the room was
closing in?'
Kurata's eyes watched as Touya's face changed shades. "Are
you ok?"
His stomach... "No," Akira whispered as he placed a hand to
his throat and quickly ran from the living room, into the bathroom.
'Why did he feel so sick?'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As he looked at his reflection in the mirror, Akira discovered
the dark circles under his eyes caused by getting no rest that night.
Tossing and turning –his sheets on his bed had moved loose and now you
could plainly see the mattress peek through. He splashed some water
on his face and toweled it try. He hated having nightmares...
Walking towards his closet, he pulled out a short-sleeved
striped shirt and a pair of slacks. 'Today was another day at the
go center...' His eyes took on a far away look. 'Shindo would be
there too.'
While he got ready, his thoughts betrayed him. His mind was
cruel to him... 'Why did he still think about a simple kiss?' His
face grew sour. 'And how many kisses had that girl gotten before him
–and still did?' He shook his head from side to side trying to shake
away his own stupidity. 'She was his girlfriend after all... didn't
see have every right?'
'All he had to do was get through today,' was what he kept
chanting to himself as he entered the go center. Thursday was the
last day in the week the pro's played. That would give him what,
five days to avoid his rival?
He clenched his jaw. '*His* rival...' It had all been a
lie right? He had never been his to begin with.
"Touya..."
Momentary panic set in his blue eyes before he masked the
expression. Lifting his head proudly, he jutted forward his chin
and ignored the boy who had robbed him from sleep so many nights.
Regardless of what he felt, the truth still remained: Shindo was
taken and had led him on. 'From now on the boy was invisible. He
couldn't touch him... He couldn't see him...' But Touya knew that
the illusion was fragile and that the slightest smell could destroy
it. Holding his breath so as not to take in his scent, Akira moved
past Hikaru and into the tatami room. 'All he had to do was get
through today...'
To be continued...
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Author's Notes:
A great big 'Thank You' to all who wished me luck on my finals. In
return I come bearing Holiday gifts. ^_^ I hope you like it. There
is just one more part left for this short ride to be over, so think
of reviews as fuels for my motivation. How soon do you REALLY want
the end to come?
att: Hikari
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG-13
Part: Part 3
Disclamer and Traditional Warnings...
This fanfiction takes place right after the end of Hikaru no Go:
Volume 15. Due to the rating you can expect Mild Shounen-Ai,
and my paring of choice is Hikaru x Akira. This story is my own
and will hope that no one posts it else where without my permission.
Also, just in case you're wondering, 'doushite' means 'why.'
DOUSHITE?
Part 3: WHAT?
Warmth could be felt all around as Hikaru walked down the
sidewalk. He clenched his fist and smiled. 'The return to the go
world...' How he had missed it!
A week had passed since his confrontation with Touya and it
had been a week since they'd talked. Hikaru had seen him today at
the go center. They had been in that same room... breathing the same
air... But Touya had refused to look his way. Well, that would not
be exactly true. Hikaru had felt his glances –could not pretend that
the tension had not been there.
"ARGH! Why couldn't he wait for my game to end?!" he said
aloud.
"What are you talking about Hikaru?"
He blinked and turned around. "Akari?" he enunciated slowly.
"Baka." She smiled as she walked up to him. "Are you talking
to yourself again?"
Hikaru's cheeks puffed a little as he said childishly, "No."
Akari bit her lip and threw him a side glance. "Where are you
headed?"
"I was hungry so I wanted to get some ramen."
Her eyes lit up. "Mind if I come with you?"
Green eyes watched the red-haired girl carefully. "Sure," he
said as he began to walk. "You can do what ever you want."
Happily, Akari fell into step -her orange eyes fleetingly
looking at him. The truth had been that while she may not have shown
it much over the past couple of weeks, she had been very worried about
her friend. A sense of relief washed over her. Somehow, he seemed
better... happier...
Her smile became forlorn. While she was glad that he had
gotten out of his rut, she wished she could have done something to
help him. Maybe she should invite him to the go club at school?
Mitani was now playing regularly with them, so there was no fear
that he'd storm out. She lowered her head, looking at her feet
and the steps she took. Why did Hikaru seem so distant now?
"Hey! Where are you going?"
Akari looked up and back at Shindo. He was standing at the
entrance of the shop and giving her a strange expression. She smiled
sheepishly as she hurried over to him. In her dazed state she had
walked right past it. "Hehe..." she said as she hurried through.
Hikaru let the door close behind him. "You know, you're
acting pretty strange." They sat down at a table. "Are you feeling
alright?"
"Of course I am!" she replied indignantly. Taking charge, she
looked at the waitress and ordered two bowls of ramen. "You're the
one that's been acting weird lately. Why did you skip classes today?"
He let a broad smile shape his lips. "I had a match today."
Her eyes grew wide. "You're playing again?!"
He accepted the bowl. "Yeah," and broke his chopsticks.
"Itadakimasu~"
Her chest hurt as she watched Hikaru take the first bite.
"Itadakimasu." She whispered as an afterthought, before bringing
the warm noodles up for a taste. In her thoughts, scenes past kept
replaying. 'Touya-kun had shown up too...' Akari's eyes wandered
towards the shop's window. 'What had been his reason... What did
they talk about... and why was she letting it bother her?'
"SHINDO!"
Akari and Hikaru looked over towards the round incoming man.
Immediately, the young boy stood from his seat and smiled.
"Kurata-san!"
The pro neared the couple. "Eating ramen with a pretty girl?"
he grabbed a chair and sat himself at their table. "Mind if I join you?"
Shindo made a sour face. "I'm not paying for you."
Atsushi looked over towards the girl. "Is he always this
cheap?" He watched as she just shook her head and let a giggle
escaped her lips. The waiter came and he placed his order, his sharp
eyes catching the way Shindo sulked. "So... I heard you're back."
The smile was brought back to life. "Yeah," he said, pure
confidence oozing out from him. "I'll never quit go."
"That's good to hear." He said accepting his dish. "You
still have to play me in an official game after all."
"Anou..." Akari's timid voice broke the comfortable mood.
"I'm sorry but, who are you?"
"WHAT?!" The large man's small eyes grew wide as he stared
in disbelief at the girl. "You don't know who I am?"
Inwardly, Hikaru could do nothing but smile as he recalled
the moment when he too had not known who this man was. However, when
he watched Akari shake her head, the mirth just bubbled up inside of
him, and soon his rich laughter could be heard everywhere within the
restaurant.
"It's not a laughing matter!" the man retorted. "Hey
waitress," he called as he raised his hand for attention. "Do
you happen to have a fan?"
"Don't bother!" Hikaru waived the request indifferently.
"She won't want it."
"Akari placed her hands on the table. "Want what? And who
says I won't?!" She turned to stare at the new comer. "My name is
Fujisaki Akari." She even gave a little bow. "Nice to meet you."
"Kurata Atsushi-san. Soon to be Honinbo,"
"YEAH RIGHT!"
Both turned to look at Hikaru... both sticking their tongues
out at him. He let a heavy sigh escape his lungs and rolled his eyes.
This had just become the longest lunch break he had ever taken.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You know right?" Kurata said as they exited the establishment.
Hikaru stopped and looked back. "Know what?"
"About your game with Touya."
Her chest throbbed again, and Akari could not help the
involuntary raise of her hand to her heart. Her eyes were alert
as they tried to decipher all the expressions that flew by his face.
They caught the way he held his breath, the way his eyes wandered
slightly to no where in particular, but they were mostly intent on
the way the gently said, "Yeah... I know."
"You know, you two make a pretty cute couple." Kurata laughed
as he began to walk away. "Sorry if I messed up your date."
Panic and a noticeable blush strung out every nerve ending
in Hikaru's face as he instantaneously yelled back, "That- That's
not true!!"
While the embarrassment of the lie had caused her face to be
tainted with a flush, the blunt negation by Hikaru had stung her
emotionally and caused all color to drain quickly. Not knowing how
to stop herself, her hand flew out and struck her classmate across
the cheek leaving a nasty imprint. "BAKA!" she screamed -the glimmer
of tears brimming from her eyes as she turned away and ran off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He placed another stone on the goban –sharp blue eyes studying
each move with detached calmness. Now that his match was over, he
could concentrate on the problem that had been nagging him ever since
he had let Shindo slip from his fingers. The reconstruction of the
game between them had given him food for thought. It had been the
start of a wonderful battle and the fact that it was unfinished had
kept him up most of the nights.
"Kuso," he swore as he realized how affected he had been by
his rival's emotional state. Had it been anyone else he would have
shown no mercy and played the game to its end. He placed another
stone on the board and suddenly, his eyes began to widen.
'Sai...' It was there, on the board: The Hikaru he had played
in the past, and the Sai who had beaten his father. No trace was left
of the boy who had disappointed him in the school tournament... it was
almost as if he had never existed. 'But, it couldn't be...'
"Akira-san?"
He looked up to see his mother peeking into the room from the
door. "Hai?"
Her eyes traveled the board. 'Like father like son,' she
thought, smiling to herself. "Kurata-san is here to see you."
"Kurata-pro?" He turned to glimpse at his clock. "Oh! I
forgot about the time." He stood from his seat and followed his
mother to the living room.
The man stood up. "Touya…"
The young boy bowed respectfully. "Kurata-san."
"Congratulations on your win today," he said as he took his
seat again. "Touya-sensei sure must be proud. After all, you're
already in the Honinbo League..."
Akira kept quiet for a moment before he sat down. "Thank you,"
he replied politely.
"I swear, the new wave sure is impressive," Kurata continued.
"You're already so far ahead and with the way Shindo returned, it seems
as if he hadn't even dropped a level..."
'Shindo...' Touya thought, remembering that morning's match.
'His face had been so set on his game, on his opponent…' he could even
recall the sharpness with which the boy's graceful hand had placed his
stones.
"...I saw him today."
Akira looked up. "Huh?"
"Yeah," Kurata said as he smiled. "I ran into him and his
girlfriend at the ramen shop."
His blood stopped flowing, and he could feel as his heartbeat
came to a near halt. "Girlfriend?" he managed to croak out from his
suddenly fry throat.
"Yes." The man took a sip of the tea Touya's mother had
brought for them. "You know, I think there's hope for him yet.
She's actually quite pretty. She has straight red hair and pretty
orange eyes."
"A- Akari?"
"Yeah," he said impressed. "Do you know her?"
If he had the power to turn invisible, to have the earth
swallow him whole, he would use it right now for the pain he was
feeling in his chest was becoming unbearable. "Yes," he admitted
lowering his head, afraid Kurata-san might see the tears he felt
would soon appear. "She's a classmate of his."
"I wonder what she sees in that kid?" the pro added jokingly.
"All I ever thought he breathed was go."
"Yeah…" The pain in Akira's chest was getting stronger. "I
wonder too." His hands closed into fists. 'Why was it becoming
more difficult to breathe? Why did he feel as if the room was
closing in?'
Kurata's eyes watched as Touya's face changed shades. "Are
you ok?"
His stomach... "No," Akira whispered as he placed a hand to
his throat and quickly ran from the living room, into the bathroom.
'Why did he feel so sick?'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As he looked at his reflection in the mirror, Akira discovered
the dark circles under his eyes caused by getting no rest that night.
Tossing and turning –his sheets on his bed had moved loose and now you
could plainly see the mattress peek through. He splashed some water
on his face and toweled it try. He hated having nightmares...
Walking towards his closet, he pulled out a short-sleeved
striped shirt and a pair of slacks. 'Today was another day at the
go center...' His eyes took on a far away look. 'Shindo would be
there too.'
While he got ready, his thoughts betrayed him. His mind was
cruel to him... 'Why did he still think about a simple kiss?' His
face grew sour. 'And how many kisses had that girl gotten before him
–and still did?' He shook his head from side to side trying to shake
away his own stupidity. 'She was his girlfriend after all... didn't
see have every right?'
'All he had to do was get through today,' was what he kept
chanting to himself as he entered the go center. Thursday was the
last day in the week the pro's played. That would give him what,
five days to avoid his rival?
He clenched his jaw. '*His* rival...' It had all been a
lie right? He had never been his to begin with.
"Touya..."
Momentary panic set in his blue eyes before he masked the
expression. Lifting his head proudly, he jutted forward his chin
and ignored the boy who had robbed him from sleep so many nights.
Regardless of what he felt, the truth still remained: Shindo was
taken and had led him on. 'From now on the boy was invisible. He
couldn't touch him... He couldn't see him...' But Touya knew that
the illusion was fragile and that the slightest smell could destroy
it. Holding his breath so as not to take in his scent, Akira moved
past Hikaru and into the tatami room. 'All he had to do was get
through today...'
To be continued...
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Author's Notes:
A great big 'Thank You' to all who wished me luck on my finals. In
return I come bearing Holiday gifts. ^_^ I hope you like it. There
is just one more part left for this short ride to be over, so think
of reviews as fuels for my motivation. How soon do you REALLY want
the end to come?
att: Hikari