Anyway, please read ahead, and if you like it (or if you don't), feel free to leave a review and let me know.
~tomato
Solitude
"I'm ho-" Waya cut himself off, frowning. There was no one there. He sighed, and ran one hand through his wild brown hair. "I have got to get used to living alone." He took off his sneakers and went to his computer, turning it on, then flopped into his arm chair. He looked at his goban thoughtfully. As a new pro, his life revolved around Go just as much as it had as an Insei; more, in fact. To rise in the professional world, he had to push himself to keep growing and doing better. For that reason, he still faced the same question of what to do in the evening: play Internet Go or recreate games on his goban?
He looked over at his computer. He didn't feel much like "socializing", and Internet Go didn't hold any appeal at the moment. Even though some people on the server would never talk, there were a few people who knew zelda would usually be up for a chat.
"Not tonight," he said, moving over to his computer. Instead of bringing up the program he used to play Go, he just opened his mp3 playing program and set it to go through his usual playlist. "I just want to be alone." His decision made, Waya sat down in front of his goban, picking a kifu from a nearby stack. "Shuusaku..." He shook his head, banishing thoughts of Shindo and sai. He tried to just concentrate on the task at hand, placing the stones on the goban one by one, feeling the flow of the moves and the intentions of the people who had played it so long ago. The familiar pachi of the stones hitting the board mingled with the music playing from his computer.
Halfway through the game, Waya reached for a black stone, then hesitated. The stone slipped through his fingers, landing back in it's go-ke. He stared at the board blankly.
"This is no good," he sighed. "I can't concentrate at all." He let himself fall backwards, until he was laying back on the carpeted floor, staring up at his ceiling. Just then, his phone rang. Waya scowled. "I don't want to talk to anyone," he told the phone, irritably. He let it ring until his answering machine picked up.
"You've reached Waya Yoshitaka," the recording greeted. "Unfortunately, I can't come to the phone right now. Or maybe I just don't want to, you may never know. Anyway, just leave a message, that's what these things are for." Beep.
"Waya?" Isumi's voice came out through the machine's speakers. "Interesting message." He paused. "I called your parents' house first, I didn't know you'd moved out. It must be nice to have your own space, finally." Another pause. "I, ah, I don't know if you've heard, but I'm in China. I didn't plan on staying here for long when I first came, but I've decided to stay here and train until the pro exam." Waya, while Isumi was speaking, had stood up and walked over to his phone table. He leaned on it with both hands, an unreadable expression on his face.
"I'll be staying at the Chinese Go Institute," Isumi added. "With Yang Hai-san, so just ask for his room if you call." Isumi laughed. "I'm not technically supposed to be here." He paused again. "Your tape is probably getting near the end, I should end this. Oh, and Waya? I- I'm sorry it took me this long before I could talk to you-" Impulsively, Waya snatched up the phone receiver. "Isumi?"
"Waya?" Isumi sounded surprised. "Did you just get in...?" Waya slid down onto the floor and sat, leaning against the wall.
"No..." Waya admitted. "Isumi-kun, why?"
"Why?"
"Why did it take so long for you to call? Why were you avoiding me - us? Go? I knew you were in China long before this. Why did it take so long for you to talk to me, your best friend?" As he spoke, Waya tried to keep his voice even, and to stop himself from crying (or shouting - he wasn't sure which he wanted to do). Even as he said it, he wondered if Isumi thought of him as his best friend or not.
"Waya... I- I just couldn't. You wouldn't understand... you passed."
"I might have understood," Waya replied, annoyance creeping into his voice. "But we'll never know, I guess, since you never gave me the chance."
"I'm sorry, Waya," Isumi said, and he sounded sincere. "I needed to do this. On my own." He sighed. "I couldn't even find any happiness for you, for passing."
"Isumi-" Waya broke off. "I..." The right words wouldn't come to him. You're right. I'm sorry. I wouldn't have understood. I do now. I was so excited about passing. "I miss you."
Isumi was silent for a moment. "I miss you, Waya." Waya gave up on his battle against crying, instead trying not to be too obvious about it. "I'll be ready to pass the exam when I return," Isumi added. Waya nodded, then realized Isumi clearly couldn't see him.
"I look forward to it," Waya smiled. "But, Isumi?"
"Yeah?"
A playful grin spread across Waya's face. "You have to call me Waya-sensei!"
Startled, Isumi laughed. "Never!" A silence fell over the conversation again, but this time it felt comfortable. Familiar. Waya could picture Isumi shaking his head, exasperated, at the thought of calling Waya "sensei", his smile lingering on his lips. Waya felt a pang of ... something.
"Isumi?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you called me."
"Me too." Waya laughed, not sure why.
"Isumi, Go isn't the only thing that binds us," Waya said impulsively.
"I know," Isumi replied. Waya frowned and opened his mouth to reply. "I do now," his friend corrected. He smirked. Isumi knows me too well...
Isumi paused, listening to something in the background. "I have to go now..." Waya nodded.
"Let's keep in touch."
"I'd like that," Isumi replied. "Good luck in your pro matches, Waya."
"Oh, is that Waya?" an unfamiliar voice asked, on Isumi's end of the line.
Waya grinned. "I see, Isumi-kun, you've been talking about me."
"I-" Isumi began.
"Did you tell him he's been cloned?" the unfamiliar voice continued, cutting him off.
"What?" Waya asked, confused.
"No, I-" Isumi sounded flustered. "Waya, I'm using up Yang Hai-san's long distance calling, I have to go. Sorry. We'll talk again."
"Yeah," Waya agreed. "Good luck to you, too."
"Good night."
"Good night, Isumi. Talk to you again soon."
"Yeah," Isumi agreed. Waya breathed out a sigh, placing the phone receiver back in it's cradle.
"Yeah, Isumi's coming back," he said to himself, getting up and going back over to his goban. "I definitely can't relax." He reached into the go-ke and placed the black stone where Shuusaku had, so long ago. Pachi. "I'll be waiting!"