A week later .......
Hikaru smiled in anticipation as he stepped off the train and onto the platform. He
had waited an entire year for this convention and he was planning on enjoying every
second of it. The annual National Japanese Go Conference had only begun five years
ago but it was already the biggest Go event in Japan. This year the convention was being
held in Hiroshima's Regency Hotel, one of the nicest in the country. Still grinning Shindo
picked up his bags and hurriedly made his way to the taxi queue, he was already late and
didn't have any time to waste. Touya said he was going to come again this year, and the
blonde haired boy was looking forward to playing his rival as much as possible this week.
Touya.....
Hikaru blushed as he remembered the incident the week before, and quickly
willed the blood that had spread to his cheeks to go away. It was an accident. A simple
accident. It meant nothing. Anyone would have reacted that way, feeling another person
moving against their lap. It didn't mean anything. He shook his head, emptying his mind
of the unwanted thoughts. He was here to play go.
As the taxi slowly made its way through the crowded streets of Hiroshima Shindo
felt his heart beating with excitement. Isumi, Waya, Kadowaki, Honda, Nase,
Fuku.... And Touya ... All those pros in one place. It was going to be a great
week. They only had to work for five hours a day, the rest of the time was their own. Plus
if Shindo and Touya were assigned to the same shift, they could play almost the entire
day if they wanted. Hikaru smiled again in anticipation as the cab slowed to a halt in front
of the large marble building that had Regency Hotel etched above its entrance in large
delicate golden letters.
Through the glass doors he could see his friends Isumi and Waya talking
animatedly to one another in the hotel lobby. Hikaru quickly paid the driver the fee and
entered the building.
" --- great match! I had to see the kifu to believe it. Damn I hate that guy!
Everything comes so easily to him!" Shindo heard Waya complain as he approached his
two friends. Isumi nudged the red head as Hikaru approached.
"Hey whatcha guys talking about?" he asked as he set his bags down on
the floor.
"Touya's match against Kurata 8-dan," Isumi answered pleasantly, still eying
Waya to make sure he didn't say anything offensive. The red head hated Touya but
Hikaru was friends with both of them. Shindo usually didn't notice or at least pretended
not to notice the angry remarks his friend occasionally made about the green haired
prodigy. But still, it wasn't fair to make Shindo listen to one friend berate another.
"You're late again," Waya said as a way of greeting. The blonde boy smiled
slightly.
"Yeah, I over slept a little," he explained nonchalantly.
"A little? You were supposed to be here two hours ago, idiot!" his friend scolded.
Isumi sighed. Waya wasn't much for tact. But then again neither was Shindo.
"Geeze, relax! The convention doesn't start until tomorrow! Today's just for
registering anyway! Calm down, Waya," came the reply. "So, who're your roommates?"
Hikaru asked excitedly, changing the topic.
"Fuku," Waya answered.
"Honda," his other friend replied.
"Oh? That's too bad," Hikaru said, a note of disappointment lingering on his
voice. "It was great bunking together last year,"
"...Yeah ....." Isumi said, smiling wanly. Last year he and Hikaru had
been assigned the same hotel room, which had seemed great at first. They were good
friends, after all. But unfortunately for Isumi, Touya and Hikaru refused to end their
rivalry when the convention did, and consequently they played go every night together
until one of them fell asleep at the goban. Which wouldn't have been so bad... if it
weren't for their infamous post- game 'discussions' which inevitably turned into an all
out verbal war. Isumi winced at the memory. He gotten three nights of sleep that week
and he had only been able to get that much because, thankfully, the two pros rotated
whose room they played in each night. It was hell. He had even gone so far as to make a
complaint to the organization committee, which he still felt a little guilty about (except
for the fact that he was assured that he would never be forced to bunk with Hikaru
again ... EVER). Apparently Touya's roommate had made the same complaint too
though, so he didn't feel quite so bad about it.
"So, who's my roommate this year?" the blonde haired boy asked, looking around
for the registration desk.
"I am," came a voice behind him, causing Hikaru to nearly fall over in surprise.
"Geeze, Touya!" the boy yelled, clutching his chest "Stop sneaking up on people
like that, baka!" Akira rolled his eyes at the robust and slightly obnoxious boy who had
somehow become his friend.
"Hello, Shindo-kun" the man standing next to his rival said brightly. "Nice to see
you."
What was his name again? Ashitaka? Akuwara?
"Hello," Hikaru replied after having recovered from his shock.
"Ashiwara and I are going out for dinner." Touya announced coolly.
Ashiwara! That was it!
"Get the key at the front desk. It's room 5179." He continued as he and the other
man made their way towards the exit.
"Huh?" Hikaru asked dumbly.
"Room 5179," the green haired boy repeated and without turning around he left
the hotel.
"God I hate that guy!" Waya fumed. "Did you see how he just ignored us?"
"He didn't mean anything by it. It's just Touya," the blonde defended. Waya
clenched his fists in frustration but, to his credit, didn't say anything more.
"We're meeting Fuku, Honda, and Nase here in a few minutes to go out for dinner.
Hurry up and put your bags away," Isumi instructed his friend.
"Oh yeah, sure," and without another word Shindo left to retrieve his key.
************************************************************************
Hikaru yawned. He had been assigned the morning shift from 8 in the morning to
12:30 in the afternoon while Waya, Isumi, Fuku and Touya were all scheduled for the
later shift that lasted form 1 o'clock to 6:30. He was supposed to meet Nase for breakfast
but he was already half an hour late, he probably didn't even have time to pick up a quick
bagel before he had to be at his station. Hurrying he took the elevator to the second
floor where the convention was being held. His stomach grumbled loudly and Hikaru
groaned. He wasn't a morning person to begin with and now he was going to have to play
shidougo for the next five hours on an empty stomach. Looking down at his feet grumpily
as he shoved his hands into his pockets, Shindo exited the elevator. He stopped quickly
though when he looked up at the entrance of the hall that served as the conference site.
Touya Akira stood next to the large mahogany doors holding a poppy seed bagel,
deep in discussion with Hikaru's friend Nase. He had noticed Touya wasn't in the hotel
room when he woke up but he didn't have the time to wonder about it.
"Hey, Touya! Whatcha doin' here?" he asked brightly when he saw his rival
standing at the door. "Your shift doesn't start until one, right?"
"I woke up at seven this morning and I have nothing better to do so....."
The green haired boy shrugged absently. Hikaru suppressed a grin. It would be nice
having his friend hang around while he was working. Nase glared at him.
"Finally woke up, eh?" She asked accusingly. Shindo paled, Nase could be scary
when she was mad.
"Um, haha! I was up late last night playing go with Touya and..." He began
but clearly his excuse was having no effect on Nase's temper.
"I waited for you for ten minutes before Touya-san told me you were still sleeping
and that I should go in before I missed breakfast!" she shouted. "He was up just as late as
you were too, and he didn't have any trouble waking up either!" Hikaru shrank. If Touya
had woken up so damn early he could have at least gotten Shindo up with him. As if
reading his thoughts Akira looked over at him
"I'm not your mother," he said flatly.
"Did I say anything?" Shindo snapped back
"No, but you were thinking it," the other boy mumbled.
"Are you listening to me Shindo?!?!" Nase yelled.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Geeze!" the blonde haired boy exclaimed. "It'll never
happen again! I promise!"
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," Touya replied. Shindo gave him
his most imposing 'you-better-shut-up-if-you-know-what's-good-for-you' glare but it
was wasted because just in the middle of it his stomach growled loudly, taking away from
the effect. Akira sighed.
"Do you want my bagel?" he offered, extending his hand.
"Don't- -- don't you want it?" Hikaru asked hesitantly.
"This'll be my second one so I'm fine." Came the reply. Hikaru just stared at the
bagel, trying to decide. Akira sighed heavily again. "Do you want it or not?!" he asked
irritably as he began to retract his arm.
"I'm taking it! I'm taking it! Geeze!" the blonde exclaimed as he quickly snatched
the bagel from his rival's hand before he could change his mind again. "Thankf" he said,
biting into it greedily. Poppy seed was his favorite. Though he had never seen Akira eat
one before. He had always just assumed he didn't like them.
"You eat poppy seed bagels, Touya?" Hikaru asked as he walked into the hall
with his friends. Akira's cheeks turned a pale pink.
"Sometimes," he replied.
************************************************************************
Hikaru sighed as the tried to explain for the umpteenth time the problem on the
board to the girl across from him. He loved coming to this convention, mainly because it
was a chance to see all his friends, but sometimes he really hated shidougo. It wasn't so
bad teaching the older men who wandered to his station, they at least paid attention.
"So you moved here when it really would have been better to go there," he said
pointing to an empty space on the goban. He looked up at the girl, who wasn't paying the
least bit of attention to the board. She was looking at him with this dazed expression on
her face. "Do you understand?" he asked her slowly. He wasn't sure if she was ill or just
stupid.
"Huh?" she replied, startled.
"Do you understand?" he repeated, slower this time.
"Oh, yes! Yes I see!" she answered, blushing furiously. She obviously had no idea
what he was talking about. Hikaru sighed again and found himself thinking almost
wistfully about Akari. She at least listened to him when he spoke. Shindo had begun to
cringe inwardly every time a girl walked by in the convention hall. For the past few years
he had been besieged by the teenaged girls who flocked to the go conventions yet seemed
to have absolutely no skill and even less interest in acquiring any //Why the do they
bother to come here if they don't want to play go?!// he wondered irritably as he
continued the lesson with his dimwitted client. Shindo seemed to have some the worst
luck. Still, he couldn't feel too sorry for himself. Isumi was usually swamped by them too
and Touya had it at least just as bad as Hikaru did.
//Where is he anyway?// he wondered to himself, craning his head to scan the
large hall. Akira had said he needed to go to the bathroom and asked him to take over his
station. That was at 6:15 and it was nearly a half past six now. //Oh well... it's
almost over anyway I guess it doesn't make a difference anymore// he thought to
himself bitterly. He was doing Touya a favor and he just blew him off? The chime that
signaled the end of the session rang.
"We can still continue if you want," he said to the girl across from him. It was
common courtesy, after all, but mentally he was banging his head against the table.
"Oh, that's okay," she stammered, "but I- -- I was.. uh hoping maybe that
um.. You might..., th-- that is to say.... that I was uh... thinking you might
want to -- "
"Well maybe I'll see you tomorrow, then!" Hikaru beamed brightly, cutting her
off. He was already clearing off the goban with such haste the girl across from him was
struck speechless. It wasn't until he had already left his seat and disappeared into the
crowd that her wits came back to her. She sighed morosely.
"Oi, Touya!" Shindo cried out angrily when he had finally spotted the green
haired boy in the crowd. He was talking with a short older man, pinned against the wall
in the corner. Seeing this, it wasn't very hard to guess what had kept him so long. Akira
never was good at keeping his fans at bay. Hikaru sighed. He was going to have to save
him .....again. When would the boy grow a backbone and tell people to shut up
and get away? Shindo smiled absently to himself. That just wasn't in Akira's nature. He
was just too polite for his own good. Oh well.
"Touya!" he yelled loudly as he approached his friend trapped between the wall
and the pudgy bald man. "You ready to go?" he asked boisterously. He almost burst out
laughing at the look of sheer relief that swept onto his rival's face.
"Oh, oh yes," Touya replied. "I'm sorry I have to go, it was nice meeting with you
though" but his words were lost when the smaller man cried out:
"Shindo Hikaru?!?!"
"Huh?" the blonde said, taken aback.
"I knew it! I knew I had seen Shindo Hikaru here earlier!" the bald man
exclaimed. By now Hikaru was completely confused.
"Do I...do I know you?" he asked.
"Oh, no! No! I'm sorry! My name is Saitou! Nice to meet you!" he said as he
grabbed Hikaru's hand and shook it vigorously.
"Uh.."
"I'm a huge fan of yours and Touya-sensei's," he explained, gaining his
composure.
"Oh," the blonde replied, glancing over at Touya for help. The green haired boy
looked mortified. This wasn't working out at all.
"Would you like to come get drinks with me?" Saitou-san asked hopefully.
"Drinks," Hikaru stammered. The short little man's head bobbed rapidly, a smile
spread across his face. Hikaru had never met anyone who was so excited to see him
before. People knew who he was of course, but between his boisterous personality and
his disregard for formalities he was rarely put into this kind of situation.
"Um, we're only 17" Akira replied politely.
"That's alright!" Saitou cried waving his hand dismissively in the air. "There's a
bar a couple of blocks from here that doesn't ask you any questions!" Akira gave his
friend a dubious look and was about to decline the invitation when:
"Yeah, sure!" Hikaru exclaimed. "Why not?" It took all the self- control Touya
had at his disposal not to slap his friend across the back of the head. He could think of
fifty different reasons 'why not'.
"No thank you," he said after a long moment. "I'm not much for drinking."
Hikaru looked disgusted.
"What do you mean you're 'not much for drinking'?" he asked incredulously.
"I meant just what I said," came the reply.
"Come on, Touya!" Hikaru whined. "Live a little."
"Well, if Touya-sensei doesn't want to come the two of us can still go," Saitou-
san broke in, sounding somewhat unhappy.
"Alright," Shindo said after a long moment, sounding slightly disappointed. Akira
couldn't help but feel a little surprised. For some reason he had expected Hikaru to
decline once he had. "See you back at the room," the blonde said as he and the little man
made their way to the exit. Touya sighed. He didn't trust Shindo to behave when he was
sober, let alone when he was drunk.
"On second thought, I think I will come with you" he said, catching up to the
group.
"Great!" Shindo said, smiling so happily that Akira couldn't help but smile back.
Oh well, at least this way he would stay out of trouble.
***** Yep. That's right. I did it. I put them in the same hotel room. And you know what? I'd do it again too! I know it's not the most creative scenario in the world but this is my first fanfic so cut me some slack *_- Um, also I know some of the things that happened in this chapter may have seemed a little contrived and a bit forced and that's because they probably were. You see, funny story, I accidentally wrote the fifth chapter before I wrote the third and fourth ones (the 4th is still in the works) *nervous laughter* so I had to force some stuff in. ~seriously, don't ask me how I did that, I still don't know the answer~ Ok well please R&R!!! BYE****
Hikaru smiled in anticipation as he stepped off the train and onto the platform. He
had waited an entire year for this convention and he was planning on enjoying every
second of it. The annual National Japanese Go Conference had only begun five years
ago but it was already the biggest Go event in Japan. This year the convention was being
held in Hiroshima's Regency Hotel, one of the nicest in the country. Still grinning Shindo
picked up his bags and hurriedly made his way to the taxi queue, he was already late and
didn't have any time to waste. Touya said he was going to come again this year, and the
blonde haired boy was looking forward to playing his rival as much as possible this week.
Touya.....
Hikaru blushed as he remembered the incident the week before, and quickly
willed the blood that had spread to his cheeks to go away. It was an accident. A simple
accident. It meant nothing. Anyone would have reacted that way, feeling another person
moving against their lap. It didn't mean anything. He shook his head, emptying his mind
of the unwanted thoughts. He was here to play go.
As the taxi slowly made its way through the crowded streets of Hiroshima Shindo
felt his heart beating with excitement. Isumi, Waya, Kadowaki, Honda, Nase,
Fuku.... And Touya ... All those pros in one place. It was going to be a great
week. They only had to work for five hours a day, the rest of the time was their own. Plus
if Shindo and Touya were assigned to the same shift, they could play almost the entire
day if they wanted. Hikaru smiled again in anticipation as the cab slowed to a halt in front
of the large marble building that had Regency Hotel etched above its entrance in large
delicate golden letters.
Through the glass doors he could see his friends Isumi and Waya talking
animatedly to one another in the hotel lobby. Hikaru quickly paid the driver the fee and
entered the building.
" --- great match! I had to see the kifu to believe it. Damn I hate that guy!
Everything comes so easily to him!" Shindo heard Waya complain as he approached his
two friends. Isumi nudged the red head as Hikaru approached.
"Hey whatcha guys talking about?" he asked as he set his bags down on
the floor.
"Touya's match against Kurata 8-dan," Isumi answered pleasantly, still eying
Waya to make sure he didn't say anything offensive. The red head hated Touya but
Hikaru was friends with both of them. Shindo usually didn't notice or at least pretended
not to notice the angry remarks his friend occasionally made about the green haired
prodigy. But still, it wasn't fair to make Shindo listen to one friend berate another.
"You're late again," Waya said as a way of greeting. The blonde boy smiled
slightly.
"Yeah, I over slept a little," he explained nonchalantly.
"A little? You were supposed to be here two hours ago, idiot!" his friend scolded.
Isumi sighed. Waya wasn't much for tact. But then again neither was Shindo.
"Geeze, relax! The convention doesn't start until tomorrow! Today's just for
registering anyway! Calm down, Waya," came the reply. "So, who're your roommates?"
Hikaru asked excitedly, changing the topic.
"Fuku," Waya answered.
"Honda," his other friend replied.
"Oh? That's too bad," Hikaru said, a note of disappointment lingering on his
voice. "It was great bunking together last year,"
"...Yeah ....." Isumi said, smiling wanly. Last year he and Hikaru had
been assigned the same hotel room, which had seemed great at first. They were good
friends, after all. But unfortunately for Isumi, Touya and Hikaru refused to end their
rivalry when the convention did, and consequently they played go every night together
until one of them fell asleep at the goban. Which wouldn't have been so bad... if it
weren't for their infamous post- game 'discussions' which inevitably turned into an all
out verbal war. Isumi winced at the memory. He gotten three nights of sleep that week
and he had only been able to get that much because, thankfully, the two pros rotated
whose room they played in each night. It was hell. He had even gone so far as to make a
complaint to the organization committee, which he still felt a little guilty about (except
for the fact that he was assured that he would never be forced to bunk with Hikaru
again ... EVER). Apparently Touya's roommate had made the same complaint too
though, so he didn't feel quite so bad about it.
"So, who's my roommate this year?" the blonde haired boy asked, looking around
for the registration desk.
"I am," came a voice behind him, causing Hikaru to nearly fall over in surprise.
"Geeze, Touya!" the boy yelled, clutching his chest "Stop sneaking up on people
like that, baka!" Akira rolled his eyes at the robust and slightly obnoxious boy who had
somehow become his friend.
"Hello, Shindo-kun" the man standing next to his rival said brightly. "Nice to see
you."
What was his name again? Ashitaka? Akuwara?
"Hello," Hikaru replied after having recovered from his shock.
"Ashiwara and I are going out for dinner." Touya announced coolly.
Ashiwara! That was it!
"Get the key at the front desk. It's room 5179." He continued as he and the other
man made their way towards the exit.
"Huh?" Hikaru asked dumbly.
"Room 5179," the green haired boy repeated and without turning around he left
the hotel.
"God I hate that guy!" Waya fumed. "Did you see how he just ignored us?"
"He didn't mean anything by it. It's just Touya," the blonde defended. Waya
clenched his fists in frustration but, to his credit, didn't say anything more.
"We're meeting Fuku, Honda, and Nase here in a few minutes to go out for dinner.
Hurry up and put your bags away," Isumi instructed his friend.
"Oh yeah, sure," and without another word Shindo left to retrieve his key.
************************************************************************
Hikaru yawned. He had been assigned the morning shift from 8 in the morning to
12:30 in the afternoon while Waya, Isumi, Fuku and Touya were all scheduled for the
later shift that lasted form 1 o'clock to 6:30. He was supposed to meet Nase for breakfast
but he was already half an hour late, he probably didn't even have time to pick up a quick
bagel before he had to be at his station. Hurrying he took the elevator to the second
floor where the convention was being held. His stomach grumbled loudly and Hikaru
groaned. He wasn't a morning person to begin with and now he was going to have to play
shidougo for the next five hours on an empty stomach. Looking down at his feet grumpily
as he shoved his hands into his pockets, Shindo exited the elevator. He stopped quickly
though when he looked up at the entrance of the hall that served as the conference site.
Touya Akira stood next to the large mahogany doors holding a poppy seed bagel,
deep in discussion with Hikaru's friend Nase. He had noticed Touya wasn't in the hotel
room when he woke up but he didn't have the time to wonder about it.
"Hey, Touya! Whatcha doin' here?" he asked brightly when he saw his rival
standing at the door. "Your shift doesn't start until one, right?"
"I woke up at seven this morning and I have nothing better to do so....."
The green haired boy shrugged absently. Hikaru suppressed a grin. It would be nice
having his friend hang around while he was working. Nase glared at him.
"Finally woke up, eh?" She asked accusingly. Shindo paled, Nase could be scary
when she was mad.
"Um, haha! I was up late last night playing go with Touya and..." He began
but clearly his excuse was having no effect on Nase's temper.
"I waited for you for ten minutes before Touya-san told me you were still sleeping
and that I should go in before I missed breakfast!" she shouted. "He was up just as late as
you were too, and he didn't have any trouble waking up either!" Hikaru shrank. If Touya
had woken up so damn early he could have at least gotten Shindo up with him. As if
reading his thoughts Akira looked over at him
"I'm not your mother," he said flatly.
"Did I say anything?" Shindo snapped back
"No, but you were thinking it," the other boy mumbled.
"Are you listening to me Shindo?!?!" Nase yelled.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Geeze!" the blonde haired boy exclaimed. "It'll never
happen again! I promise!"
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," Touya replied. Shindo gave him
his most imposing 'you-better-shut-up-if-you-know-what's-good-for-you' glare but it
was wasted because just in the middle of it his stomach growled loudly, taking away from
the effect. Akira sighed.
"Do you want my bagel?" he offered, extending his hand.
"Don't- -- don't you want it?" Hikaru asked hesitantly.
"This'll be my second one so I'm fine." Came the reply. Hikaru just stared at the
bagel, trying to decide. Akira sighed heavily again. "Do you want it or not?!" he asked
irritably as he began to retract his arm.
"I'm taking it! I'm taking it! Geeze!" the blonde exclaimed as he quickly snatched
the bagel from his rival's hand before he could change his mind again. "Thankf" he said,
biting into it greedily. Poppy seed was his favorite. Though he had never seen Akira eat
one before. He had always just assumed he didn't like them.
"You eat poppy seed bagels, Touya?" Hikaru asked as he walked into the hall
with his friends. Akira's cheeks turned a pale pink.
"Sometimes," he replied.
************************************************************************
Hikaru sighed as the tried to explain for the umpteenth time the problem on the
board to the girl across from him. He loved coming to this convention, mainly because it
was a chance to see all his friends, but sometimes he really hated shidougo. It wasn't so
bad teaching the older men who wandered to his station, they at least paid attention.
"So you moved here when it really would have been better to go there," he said
pointing to an empty space on the goban. He looked up at the girl, who wasn't paying the
least bit of attention to the board. She was looking at him with this dazed expression on
her face. "Do you understand?" he asked her slowly. He wasn't sure if she was ill or just
stupid.
"Huh?" she replied, startled.
"Do you understand?" he repeated, slower this time.
"Oh, yes! Yes I see!" she answered, blushing furiously. She obviously had no idea
what he was talking about. Hikaru sighed again and found himself thinking almost
wistfully about Akari. She at least listened to him when he spoke. Shindo had begun to
cringe inwardly every time a girl walked by in the convention hall. For the past few years
he had been besieged by the teenaged girls who flocked to the go conventions yet seemed
to have absolutely no skill and even less interest in acquiring any //Why the do they
bother to come here if they don't want to play go?!// he wondered irritably as he
continued the lesson with his dimwitted client. Shindo seemed to have some the worst
luck. Still, he couldn't feel too sorry for himself. Isumi was usually swamped by them too
and Touya had it at least just as bad as Hikaru did.
//Where is he anyway?// he wondered to himself, craning his head to scan the
large hall. Akira had said he needed to go to the bathroom and asked him to take over his
station. That was at 6:15 and it was nearly a half past six now. //Oh well... it's
almost over anyway I guess it doesn't make a difference anymore// he thought to
himself bitterly. He was doing Touya a favor and he just blew him off? The chime that
signaled the end of the session rang.
"We can still continue if you want," he said to the girl across from him. It was
common courtesy, after all, but mentally he was banging his head against the table.
"Oh, that's okay," she stammered, "but I- -- I was.. uh hoping maybe that
um.. You might..., th-- that is to say.... that I was uh... thinking you might
want to -- "
"Well maybe I'll see you tomorrow, then!" Hikaru beamed brightly, cutting her
off. He was already clearing off the goban with such haste the girl across from him was
struck speechless. It wasn't until he had already left his seat and disappeared into the
crowd that her wits came back to her. She sighed morosely.
"Oi, Touya!" Shindo cried out angrily when he had finally spotted the green
haired boy in the crowd. He was talking with a short older man, pinned against the wall
in the corner. Seeing this, it wasn't very hard to guess what had kept him so long. Akira
never was good at keeping his fans at bay. Hikaru sighed. He was going to have to save
him .....again. When would the boy grow a backbone and tell people to shut up
and get away? Shindo smiled absently to himself. That just wasn't in Akira's nature. He
was just too polite for his own good. Oh well.
"Touya!" he yelled loudly as he approached his friend trapped between the wall
and the pudgy bald man. "You ready to go?" he asked boisterously. He almost burst out
laughing at the look of sheer relief that swept onto his rival's face.
"Oh, oh yes," Touya replied. "I'm sorry I have to go, it was nice meeting with you
though" but his words were lost when the smaller man cried out:
"Shindo Hikaru?!?!"
"Huh?" the blonde said, taken aback.
"I knew it! I knew I had seen Shindo Hikaru here earlier!" the bald man
exclaimed. By now Hikaru was completely confused.
"Do I...do I know you?" he asked.
"Oh, no! No! I'm sorry! My name is Saitou! Nice to meet you!" he said as he
grabbed Hikaru's hand and shook it vigorously.
"Uh.."
"I'm a huge fan of yours and Touya-sensei's," he explained, gaining his
composure.
"Oh," the blonde replied, glancing over at Touya for help. The green haired boy
looked mortified. This wasn't working out at all.
"Would you like to come get drinks with me?" Saitou-san asked hopefully.
"Drinks," Hikaru stammered. The short little man's head bobbed rapidly, a smile
spread across his face. Hikaru had never met anyone who was so excited to see him
before. People knew who he was of course, but between his boisterous personality and
his disregard for formalities he was rarely put into this kind of situation.
"Um, we're only 17" Akira replied politely.
"That's alright!" Saitou cried waving his hand dismissively in the air. "There's a
bar a couple of blocks from here that doesn't ask you any questions!" Akira gave his
friend a dubious look and was about to decline the invitation when:
"Yeah, sure!" Hikaru exclaimed. "Why not?" It took all the self- control Touya
had at his disposal not to slap his friend across the back of the head. He could think of
fifty different reasons 'why not'.
"No thank you," he said after a long moment. "I'm not much for drinking."
Hikaru looked disgusted.
"What do you mean you're 'not much for drinking'?" he asked incredulously.
"I meant just what I said," came the reply.
"Come on, Touya!" Hikaru whined. "Live a little."
"Well, if Touya-sensei doesn't want to come the two of us can still go," Saitou-
san broke in, sounding somewhat unhappy.
"Alright," Shindo said after a long moment, sounding slightly disappointed. Akira
couldn't help but feel a little surprised. For some reason he had expected Hikaru to
decline once he had. "See you back at the room," the blonde said as he and the little man
made their way to the exit. Touya sighed. He didn't trust Shindo to behave when he was
sober, let alone when he was drunk.
"On second thought, I think I will come with you" he said, catching up to the
group.
"Great!" Shindo said, smiling so happily that Akira couldn't help but smile back.
Oh well, at least this way he would stay out of trouble.
***** Yep. That's right. I did it. I put them in the same hotel room. And you know what? I'd do it again too! I know it's not the most creative scenario in the world but this is my first fanfic so cut me some slack *_- Um, also I know some of the things that happened in this chapter may have seemed a little contrived and a bit forced and that's because they probably were. You see, funny story, I accidentally wrote the fifth chapter before I wrote the third and fourth ones (the 4th is still in the works) *nervous laughter* so I had to force some stuff in. ~seriously, don't ask me how I did that, I still don't know the answer~ Ok well please R&R!!! BYE****
