Disclaimer: Sorry, I'm too lazy to come up with a disclaimer that is remotely funny. Hikaru no Go belongs to the great Hotta-san and Obata-san.

A/N: Sorry for the delay everybody. First my computer crashed and I had to get that replaced, which was then followed by laziness and procrastination. You have my promise that I *will* continue this series but I have a feeling the next chapter won't come out any time soon with all the ISU projects piling up and the exams looming, looming ever closer. [sighs] Stupid school…

On another note, I was wondering if there is anybody out there that wants to be my beta-reader. The job doesn't pay much anything (come on, seriously, I'm a teenager… - -;) but I would appreciate if someone (perhaps more than one) would look over my work for grammar and the general content. It would be awesome if the person(s) was/were familiar with the series Naruto, Tennis no Oujisama and Harry Potter since I have plans to write fics for them as well. Not only that, it would be awesome if the person(s) wouldn't bite off my head at the slowness of writing…- -; If you or anybody you know would be interested, just e-mail me at: bishiekraze@hotmail.com or leave a review. Thanks for your attention everybody and as always, comments are appreciated. Now let us go on with the show! ^ ^

Another Chance

Chapter 2: Encounter

Akira was standing alone at the very end of a cliff, and he was waiting— waiting for something he didn't know. He could see the thick sea foam that flew as it hit the rocks on the shore, a precipitous drop below. His hair whipped around his face and his clothes billowed in the gales of wind that blew towards him with unrelenting force.

He suddenly felt light and he realized that his feet no longer touched the ground, that he was slowly drifting away as if carried by the wind. His mind was blank except for the uplifting bliss that filled him. Floating on airy wings, his mind as clear and when his eyes rested on the boy that flew beside him— the boy that remained forever sixteen in his mind— his purpose was filled.

Akira smiled and Hikaru smiled back as they continued to rise, defying the laws of gravity. But, Akira then noticed with a start that Hikaru was rapidly falling, leaving him behind. The decision that Akira made then seemed to seal his fate. The euphoric feeling that ran through him dissipated as gravity pulled. Akira found himself falling as if yanked by an invisible chain.

He reached out a hand desperately, hoping to save Hikaru, but the distance between the two lengthened as Hikaru's acceleration increased. He glanced at the boy and found himself looking into brown eyes that were not distressed or scared but filled with unspeakable grief and loneliness.

A little yelp of disbelief escaped from his mouth as Hikaru quickly became a blur, his features hardly distinguishable due to the great distance. Then, all of a sudden, he began to disappear— in the literal sense. Hikaru's form began to fade and his body became unrecognizable and his eyes lost its light before he disappeared all together.

He felt grief slowly settle over him, sink its claws into his self during this vulnerable state. It felt like something was missing from him, that all of a sudden, he was empty. Funny…he didn't know what that something was…

Akira continued to fall, but he didn't care. He didn't know what the purpose was. There was nothing he could do anyway. He was falling and eventually, he was going to hit the ground. It frightened him to think that he could fall endlessly— he would have no way to escape from reality.

Then suddenly, there was a light and as it shone, it was as if finally, he could see. It was as if Akira finally gained insight on his surroundings, on his life, and it was then he realized how black his world was— how he had been surrounded by darkness.

And then, there was a familiar hand, with long, slender fingers, which was radiating with such a pure and intense light that it blinded him. He narrowed his eyes, and to his astonishment, it was reaching out to him. It wanted him to grab on and Akira's mind was racing with possibilities. Who would want to help him?

He tried to look up but the light was too much. All he could see was a dazzling smile, warm and encouraging and he heard a faint voice calling. "Akira-kun…Akira-kun…."

Akira was brought back to reality as he felt a shooting pain emanating from his upper left arm. He soon realized that he was sitting in the passenger seat of a car, the seatbelt digging into his skin. And it hadn't been that mysterious person that had said his name but Yukiru who sat beside him. He turned to see an annoyed Yukiru whose face was turned towards him, an impatient expression on her face as she waited for the traffic light to turn green.

"I see the only way I can stop you from daydreaming is by using violence."

Akira blinked in surprise. "Was I daydreaming?"

A disbelieving expression appeared on Yukiru's face at the question. "You're kidding, right? You've been zoning out for the past couple of days and you haven't even realized it?"

"It's possible, right?" Akira tried to give a convincing smile but failed miserably.

Yukiru narrowed her eyes, as if contemplating the situation. A long, drawn-out second later, "Something is up, I can feel it. You know I'll find out eventually."

Needless to say, Akira was very grateful when at the light turned green and Yukiru concentrated on driving. He didn't like being under Yukiru's scrutiny, especially when it was a subject he would rather avoid. Avoid? What he trying to avoid? He wasn't hiding anything…was he?

A flash of blue filled his mind's eye proving him otherwise. It was unusual. He had seen the boy for a split second, and he couldn't stop thinking about him. And for some reason, he reminded him so much of someone he knew but he couldn't understand how that was possible. He didn't look anything like the people he knew.

"Oh God…this is what stress does to you…It makes you think of crazy things…" he thought tiredly to himself. Life was never easy for him, was it?

= * = * = * = * =

It was later that day, mid-afternoon to be precise, and the sun was shining brightly behind some wispy clouds despite the cold. Crowds of people were mingling around him as he stood in front of the Go Institute, looking quite the stranger in spite of the fact he was there at least once a week. Today was the day of the Children's Go tournament and his daughter had decided (by herself of course) that she wanted to come. Although she was only six, she already developed a love for Go and practised everyday, with of without somebody. Akira couldn't help but be proud of that. After all, how many fathers can say that their six-year-old daughter insists on playing Go everyday?

At times, Akira forgot how young his daughter really was but today he was very aware as Akane held his hand tightly and looked at the world from behind his legs. He was secretly glad at signs like this that showed that she was still a child. Akane was too mature for her age and it scared him to think that she was moving towards the same path he had followed as a child. It was never good to grow up too young.

Yukiru had left them to get ready for her Go lessons. Although she was a 6-dan Go player, she occasionally volunteered to teach Go to the general masses in Go festivals like these. Even though she wouldn't admit it, she enjoyed doing what she did. She had a kind heart and never failed to volunteer, when the opportunity arose.

Before Akira had time for a second thought, Akane decided to take charge of the situation. Although she still held his hand as if it was a safety line, Akane proceeded to lead him through the crowd. She stopped at one exhibit after another, excitement clear in her actions. She was full of questions and they seemed never-ending; Akira could honestly say that he was exhausted within a couple of hours.

It was early evening and Akane was inquiring the person in charge of the Internet Go exhibit to teach her how to play. Akira smiled to himself as he saw how eagerly she listened to the man's words, how her face lighted up as she figured out how to play, how she fidgeted with enthusiasm.

A hand rested on Akira's shoulder and surprised him out of his thoughts. "Touya-meijin…What a surprise." Akira turned around rapidly and came face-to-face with a familiar face.

Akira felt himself smirk. "Well, well, well Waya-san…I didn't expect to see you here, especially after I trounced you in the Meijin tournament."

Waya gave a disbelieving sigh, "you still are a dirty little bastard, aren't you?"

"And your vocabulary hasn't changed much either, has it?" Akira answered back smoothly.

Waya stood before him— a few inches taller still sporting his messy brown hair and wearing a casual suit, navy blue with an open collar. Akira and Waya weren't rivals, nobody could ever be that, but he was a high-ranked pro Go player and that was enough for Akira. It was a tentative friendship that had developed after Hikaru's disappearance; they were more than acquaintances but less than friends.

"We really can't have a civil conversation, can we?" Waya asked, half-jokingly.

"Of course not…especially with your temper Waya-san." Akira couldn't help but laugh at the offended expression on Waya's face.

"Hey! You-" Waya couldn't finish his sentence as he was interrupted by a voice that arose from the surrounding crowd.

"Touya-kun, Waya-kun! Imagine the shock of finding the two of you together on friendly terms!" Yukiru exclaimed happily as her small body fought through the crowd.

"We aren't that bad…" Akira said, sweat dropping as she reached them. "And what are you doing here anyway? Aren't you be running the booth to help out the beginner Go players?"

Yukiru turned and proclaimed indignantly to Akira, "Hey! I'm on break! And just for that accusation that I'm a slacker, I'm going to give you the silent treatment."

Before Akira could reply, she showered her attention over an unprepared Waya. "Waya-kun! It's been a long time since I last saw you." She promptly hugged the man and Waya kissed her quickly on the cheek. "Did my sister come with you today?"

"No, you know how she doesn't like crowds. She said she would rather stay home with Takeru. I don't think she's accepted the fact that he is going to be attending school this year…" Waya laughed at the silliness of his wife.

"Yes, she can be quite overprotective, can't she?" Yukiru asked light-heartedly, still blatantly trying to ignore Akira, who was waiting rather patiently.

"But Kitsuka did come with me…He said he wouldn't miss the chance."

"Of course he wouldn't! He's a pro Go player after all…I bet he's enjoying the experience. After all, someone in the family had to inherit your talent!" She laughed to herself and she nudged the man blithely.

"Yeah…Isumi would have been proud," Waya started and stopped abruptly and Akira noticed the faraway look the came over his eyes.

Akira's eyes caught Yukiru's and they both shared an all-knowing look. Akira was suddenly transported years back and he remembered how jealous he had felt at seeing Waya and Isumi. Every time, they were within each other's presence, they seemed to shine with an inner light, a quiet and holy happiness that only comes with a sincere love. They had moved in together and had even adopted a little boy, Kitsuka, who was seven at the time. The child found a warm and loving home in their apartment and it seemed as if their life was perfect. To Akira, everything about their relationship portrayed something he had longed for with Hikaru but could never have. They had each other, they had a kid, and they had the perfect life- what could possibly go wrong?

However, one evening, when the weather was dreary and Isumi was driving Kitsuka home from a tennis practice, he lost control of the car. The car swerved as it hit a patch of slippery gravel and as hard Isumi tried to keep it in control, it ran off the road and crashed into the protective barrier at the side. Although Kitsuka had survived, Isumi hadn't made it. When Akira heard the news, it had been the end of a beautiful dream.

Akira remembered how Waya hadn't taken the news well. He left the Go scene for close to a year, hiding in his apartment with Kitsuka, determined to prove that his life was over. Later on, he mentioned to Akira that if it hadn't been for Kitsuka, he didn't know how he would have survived. He immersed himself with taking care of Kitsuka, and preoccupied himself with other tasks- anything that didn't remind him of Isumi.

Even though Waya eventually recovered and did return to the Go world, with the encouragement of Kitsuka, he was never the same again. How could he be? His eyes held a glint of sadness, despite his usual friendly demeanour. Poor Waya never fully recovered after the loss of Isumi and it saddened Akira that Waya had experienced something as fulfilling as the first taste of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, only for it to be taken away from him so brutally.

It wasn't as if Waya didn't love his wife Atsuko (who was Yukiru's sister and who he had met through Yukiru); he would not have married her otherwise. Yet, there was something about the experience of first love that never left without imprinting itself on one forever.

Desperate to change the topic, he attempted to grasp at straws, looking for something to distract the zoned out Waya when all of a sudden he realized something. He looked around frantically, wanting desperately to be proved wrong. His worst predictions came true— she was nowhere in sight.

"Oh no…" he whispered softly but both Waya and Yukiru had heard him. Yukiru's attention shifted to Akira and Waya came out of his reverie, looking dazed.

"What is it Akira?" Yukiru asked worriedly, seeing the tension settle on his face.

His voice half broke as he attempted to face reality. "Akane…I can't see her anywhere!"

Both of the companions' eyes widened in disbelief but gathered themselves quickly, noticing how quickly Akira was breaking down.

"Akira, calm down. Akane must be around here somewhere. You know she's a smart girl… she wouldn't wander off too much," Yukiru tried to reassure the man.

"Yeah, we'll split up and look for her. We'll find her quicker that way," Waya suggested. The three quickly nodded their head in agreement, albeit Akira did so distractedly, and went off in their own direction.

Akira walked past the display about Internet Go and pushed his way through the throng of people straining his eyes and ears to spot a glimpse of his daughter or a strain of her voice. He didn't know how long he searched for her— every second, every minute was infinitely longer. He couldn't get his mind around it…Could he-could he have lost his Akane? His world suddenly became smaller within his eyes and the people around him simply became blurs. He had to find her... he just had to!

Yes, in reality, it was the child who depended on the parent, but in his case, it was the other way around. Despite the circumstances of her birth, she grew to be his pillar of support— without her he would of crumbled long ago. Without her, there truly wouldn't be any meaning to his life. She was the little spark that kept him clinging, clinging in hope that something will come for his salvation.

Then he heard it; a faint voice that reached his ears, despite the loud bustling of the crowd around him.

How was it possible? How could he pinpoint one specific voice from the sea of people? He was delusional, that was it. Hearing things that weren't actually there…this is what Touya Akira has come to. Yet, despite his doubts and incredulity at his unreasonable hope, he felt himself being drawn towards the source of the voice. What if it was actually her? He didn't have the courage not to pursue this possible chance.

And then, he saw her. A flash of her light brown hair flashed in the corner of his sight and he swiftly moved towards her. Hope began to rise in his stomach and mounted quickly as the distance shortened, and his eyes became blind to everything except the tiny fleck of brown that grew in shape, size and colour.

He broke through the barrier of people and saw his petite daughter, Akane, who hadn't changed a bit since the last time he saw her. She was animatedly talking, with large gestures and lots of movement, to a young man crouched before her. Akira expected his paternal instincts to be on full alarm. Who does that stranger think he was, listening to Akane talk so freely, while he was sick with worry? Yet, Akira noticed the protective way he hovered over her and the delighted laughs that he managed to get from her, and his worry ebbed away, if only slightly. Akane's judgement was sometimes better than his own.

Ultimately, it was intense relief that settled heavily in him and he called out in a choked voice his daughter's name. Akane's head rapidly turned around and squealed "Daddy!" before jumping into his outstretched arms. He knelt before her and brushed the wisps of hair before her face and fixed the ribbons in her hair, hardly believing he had found her. For those few moments that Akane had gone missing— he had truly thought he had lost her.

"So this is your daughter," a softly accented voice rang in the air, not because of the volume but because of its quality. Akira's eyes, which had closed in contentment from the warmth of Akane's body in his arms, opened wide in shock. He had almost forgot about this man, but that wasn't what bothered Akira. There was something about the voice, the way its tone rang in his ears, which was just so familiar to him.

Akane pulled out of his embrace and tugged at his sleeve, demanding attention. "Daddy, daddy! I got so lost and I got really scared that I couldn't find you. I tried to look for you but then I just go more lost. Then, this nice man saw me and told me not to worry and that you would find me. And he was right!" she rushed through the explanation, almost as if it was all said in one breath.

Akira stood up, with Akane in his arms, his eyes directed towards the floor. He didn't know why he was so unwilling to meet the other man's eyes but he knew it was rude not to say anything after the stranger's kindness.

"Thank you for finding my daughter," his voice sounded a little shaky to him as he continued, "If there is anything I could do for you…" While he said this, he forced himself to look up and when his eyes met the deep blue ones of the other, he couldn't help but elicit a slight gasp.

Right before him, stood the boy from the Go parlour. His attire was more formal this time around with a dark blue button up shirt and dress pants, but it was the same boy with the bottomless eyes, which shimmered at the surface like the ocean but hid a well-guarded secret below its depths. His voice caught in his throat as he continued to gaze at the young man. Who was he?

Akira heard the other speak again and was abruptly drawn away from his ponderings. "Ah…Touya-meijin. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you. One cannot mention Go without your name coming up."

"And you are…" Akira managed to ask,

The young man looked startled for a moment and then he laughed. A laugh that resembled the soft tinkling of wind chimes on a breezy day. "Oh how rude of me to not introduce myself. My name is Bynes Mikael, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." He held a hand out and after a moment of contemplation, Akira set Akane down and shook it.

Akira was tempted to hold on longer than necessary for a normal handshake. He enjoyed the feel of the cool skin against his and the feel of the elegant fingers grasping his. Akira was briefly reminded of the texture of velvet. He rolled the name Mikael in his mouth— it was both sweet and sharp and left a strong aftertaste, as was expected of a foreign name. "Mii-kai-ru…" he sounded out each syllable, unsure of the pronunciation.

Again he heard the soft, ringing laugh of the other and he felt something inside him stir at the sound. "It would be an honour for you to call me Kai. I prefer it better."

Akira felt himself smile, a genuine one that lingered on his face for some time. "Very well then Kai-san."

They stood there for a bit, a little oasis of silence among the people around them. Akira dared not break the moment as he took in Kai's presence as if this encounter was the last. A strange, comforting aura seemed to emanate from the other's self that helped soothe Akira's restless mind.

"But what is it about this guy that makes me feel like-like this?" wondered Akira when he had the sudden urge to push the wisp of hair that settled before Kai's eyes. He was lost in the darkness of his self, unable to comprehend these unbidden thoughts. He was grasping for understanding and just as he managed to graze it, the intense moment was penetrated by the voices of Waya and Yukiru.

He felt Akane tug at his hand, which she had slipped in his hand. "Daddy, look behind you! Yukiru-san and Waya-san are heading our way!" she exclaimed happily. He unwillingly turned towards the direction his daughter was pointing to and it was indeed the two who walked rapidly towards them.

"Akira! I'm so glad that you found Akane!" Yukiru said as she quickly greeted Akane. "How did you find her?"

Akira blinked, and it took him a second to formulate and answer. "I really wasn't the one to find her…I found her talking to this guy named Kai over there…" he turned around and his words drifted to a stop. His eyes only strayed to an empty spot, where the boy had once stood; now, only a gang of elderly men drifted by.

"Are you sure Akira? By the looks of it there's nobody there…" Yukiru asked worriedly. She had to admit that lately Akira had been acting weird lately, living in a constant daydream. Now he was having hallucinations? She knew she shouldn't be jumping to conclusions but with the way things were going with Akira, anything seemed possible.

"He was right there!" Akira replied back fiercely. He saw the startled expressions that settled on Yukiru and Waya at his outburst. He wasn't known to speak with such strong feelings; Anger, Hate, Happiness, and Love— as the years passed, they had all merged to be one uniform emotion. He continued softer, almost disbelieving, "we spoke to each other and we— we shook hands…" his gaze fell to his right hand where the warmth of the other boy's hand still tingled.

"Umm, okay then…" Waya said unsure of what to say to Akira's claim, "If you say so…."

Yukiru noted the touchiness of the subject. She then noticed the time. She thought to herself, "Why not kill two birds with one stone?"

"Oh no! I have to get back to my station. I have to play some Go pro from Korea as an exhibition match. Do you want to come watch?"

"Might as well…you always have such spectacular losses," Waya said half-jokingly only to get punched in his arm by Yukiru.

"Ow! Jeez, what was that for you little psycho bitch?" he muttered as he rubbed his sore arm.

"Watch your language in front of the kids," Yukiru reprimanded laughingly, "You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

Akira looked at the two argue and he couldn't help but laugh. It was surprising that the two had lasted this long without a single disagreement. His mind still lingered on the young man who possessed those azure eyes— a pure blue tinted by violet— and his identity, although he desperately wanted to prove otherwise. He didn't care about him at all— why would he? He was simply a stranger that had entered his life out of the blue, who came and left as he pleased. Perhaps this was even the last time he would encounter Kai— just as quickly as he entered the picture, he will leave, and Akira will keep on living as he was.

Akira felt his daughter's presence beside him, her small hand fitting perfectly into his. A cheery smile on her face, at the prospect of the exhibition match, she led Akira eagerly behind the still bickering pair.

As he basked in the moment, as imperfect as it was, Akira reached a conclusion. He will continue living and honestly? It wasn't so bad.