Let me explain first the timeline to the story, the prologue and first 2 chapters are for character building. The two interlude chapters are pure insanity and may or may not be relevant to later chapters. And for those who are asking about the rabid fangirls... yeah, it's those three OCs in the interlude. I was going to make a third interlude with Akari teaming up with them... then I felt that I'd tortured Akira and Hikaru enough. ^o^ As for shounen ai or yaoi... I make fun of the fangirls. There will be hints of it or none at all. Though I might make it shounen ai in future chapters.
The Shining Go
Chapter 3: Itsumo Kimi No
After the incident with Akira's rabid yaoi fangirl cousins, Hikaru and Akira didn't talk to each other for a week. Nothing, (even the three sisters' schemes) could make them look at each other. Only when the relatives have left the house did the two boys let speak to each other again. They had let out simultaneous sighs of relief when their car was out of visual range. Then they looked at each other and burst out laughing. Everything was back to normal. Or so they hoped.
When Akira mentioned this to Ichikawa-san the next time they played at the Go salon, she suddenly turned bright pink and muttered under breath something that vaguely sounded like, "I still have a chance then..." Akira avoided her for days after that and spent his time playing Go with Hikaru. If not he played Go with his father. Or with Ashiwara-san. Just Go. It would have been like that everyday if the bleached-banged boy and Yashiro hadn't dragged him to the videogame arcade. He surprised himself by doing well in the shooting games. He must have been highly stressed lately to have started shooting wildly like that.
Hikaru and Yashiro's eyes bugged out after seeing him get a perfect score in the Time Crisis game and the Sniper game. They were freaked out even more when Akira gunned down all the zombies that appeared with perfect accuracy (his face was still as serious as ever).
Their jaws nearly reached the floor when Akira turned to them, smiling. "Let's come back next time." he said. "I need a lot of stress relief right now."
The two silently agreed with him.
February 20 (3 months before the Hokuto Cup)
"That's not fair, you know." Yashiro said to them a as they were leaving the Touya home.
"What's not fair?" Hikaru asked, munching on a piece of toast. (He was still hungry after breakfast, he finally started having a growth spurt.)
"I mean the both of ya have been asked to be in the Hokuto cup this year after your performance last year." The tall boy groaned. "Now I have to fight against Waya and mushroom-head for the last spot."
"Kurata-san did say that you need to gain more strength first." Akira said. "But we don't think you need to worry about the spots. Waya and Ochi are considerably weaker than you but it doesn't mean you'll let your guard down."
"I dunno 'bout that." Hikaru said between bites. The other two turned to look at him. "Waya's been training at China with Isumi-san you know. Though Lei Ping still beats him regularly. He HAS grown stronger."
"Still not strong enough in international standards though." Akira mused.
"Just watch for him next year. It'll be the last time he might make the team so he's been working really hard."
"Watch out for whom?"
The trio looked behind them. "Isumi-san!" Hikaru smiled at his friend. "When did you get back from China? How's Yang Hai-san and the others?"
Isumi sighed. "I just got back yesterday. They're doing great. Yang Hai-san will be Team China's manager again for the cup. Lei Ping made the Chinese team. And I'll ask again, Shindou. Don't try to change the question, watch out for whom?"
Yashiro piped up before Hikaru could answer. "Waya. I heard he's gotten stronger."
"Yeah, too bad not strong enough to beat you yet Yashiro." Isumi grimaced. "He and Lei Ping made spectacles of themselves back in the instutute. Ever since Lei Ping's growth spurt, they've been impossible to tell apart. Attitude-wise though... It's easy to know which one is which."
"So that kid's still a brat or so I heard?" Hikaru chuckled, stuffing the last of the toast in his mouth.
Isumi sweatdropped. "He hasn't changed a bit."
"I resign." Yashiro said.
They were eating lunch at a soba shop near the Go Institute. Hikaru whipped out a magnetic goban (dunno where he got one) and challenged Yashiro to a game. Yashiro lost miserably and bought another order of yakisoba. "Dammit Shindou, why do I have to pay for another serving?"
"Stop complaining." Hikaru growled. He helped himself to more noodles. "You're the one who suggested that the loser pays for the winner's meal."
"Oi, Touya. Help me here." Yashiro begged. Akira ignored him.
"Fancy seeing you here!" A hand clamped down on Akira's shoulder.
"Kurata-san!"
Hikaru slurped his noodles. "The ramen shop is across the street, Kurata-san."
"Can't I have some soba as well? Two yakisoba! I'm starved!" He motioned to the waitress.
"Y-Yes sir."
Hikaru rolled his eyes. 'And he still wants to eat?' he thought to himself. He cleared his throat. "Kurata-san, what brings you here? You look like you wanna talk about something."
The older pro started talking. "Boys, this year I wan't you to defeat China. COMPLETELY. And after that, pulverize Korea as well. That Ang Ten Son... His smirk last year was unbearable. This year, I'll make sure he'll be known as Korea's Kurata Atsushi! Then I'll wipe that grin off his face! Wait til...
The trio tuned him out. The one-sided rivalry between Kurata and Ang Ten Son was a joke to them. The unsuspecting manager of team Korea never really understoon Kurata's animosity towards himself. Kurata ranted on, then realized that the owner of the shop was looking at him strangely.
"Well boys," he said. The waitress set down his orders in front of him. "Itadakimasu." He took his chopsticks and ravenously attacked the soba. "This just isn't about the Hokuto Cup. As you know, Japan is again the sponsor for this year's Amateur Go tournament."
Akira nodded. "Father mentioned this too. And Japan's representative is once again Hiroshima's Shuuhei."
"Really?" Hikaru started. "I played against him once..."
"How was he?" Kurata asked, his chopsticks stopping for a second.
"Fairly good. He lost to me though..."
Yashiro snorted. "Yeah, all because your friend... what's his name again? Kawai-san got into a quarrel with him?"
Hikaru rolled his eyes. "Kawai-san could never keep his mouth shut."
"About that..." Kurata finished off his first bowl. "You and Touya are his 'tour guides' for his week long stay."
"What about school?" Akira asked.
"The tournament's in the spring this time. They decided to hold a special one. Usually it's around summer but we got a good sponsor this year. It's vacation so you don't have to worry about that."
"How bout me?" Yashiro asked.
"You'll be here during break anyway. You have the Hokuto cup to worry about, IF you get the remaining spot this year. Oh yeah, congratulations Shindou." Kurata attacked the second bowl.
Sensing that Yashiro's patience with Kurata had reached its limit, Hikaru interrupted. "Well, while we're here, what about a game?" He waved the magnetic goban at them.
Yashiro groaned.
to be continued...
Notes:
the magnetic goban is a regular in Hikagoyaoi.org's RR contest.