Title: The move
Author: Dead^Meat (deadmeat@bhlegend.com)
ICQ: 7790861 (Auth. req. – state who you are when you ask)
*Note regarding ICQ: I very, Very rarely use it nowadays, but please contact me on my e-mail if you want to get in touch, I use MSN. Although not with this e-mail, so please send me an e-mail if you want me to add you … :) *
Dates of revision: 2003-06-09 v 0.05 (Started)
2004-02-01 v 1.0 Chapter 2 released
* Disclaimer: Characters from Hikaru no Go have been used without permission. All characters contained in this work are copyright their respective mangaka and publishers, etc. No financial gain made by this.
* Quick-list of various Japanese words/phrases used, and it's translation.
-kun = name suffix
-san = name suffix
-chan = name suffix, mainly girls
Go = a popular Japanese board game using black and white stones
Hai = yes
Insei = special Go-student
* Reading:
"d" - Denotes speaking
'd' - Denotes thinking
_d_ - Denotes punctuation
|d| - Denotes sound effects
******************************************************************
Chapter two: Making bridges******************************************************************
"Alright guys, see you tomorrow!" Waya Yoshitaka called out to his friends, and ventured out into the cool night while casually zipping his jacket. Tugging his hands into his pockets, he took a quick look back at the old Go-salon behind him, smiled fondly and joined the small crowd strolling through the streets.
His mind empty, but for thoughts of what to do tomorrow, he impulsively decided on walking through the park on his way to the train station, thinking that it might not hurt to get a good walk every now and then.
Besides, it was a beautiful night, the moon was shining brightly, illuminating the areas the park-lanterns could not reach, making it seem like a scene from some nocturnal story. He soon came to regret his decision.
Everywhere around him, the sight of couples caught his eye, people sitting close together, making out, hugging each other and everything, not at all caring for whom they displayed their affection.
It made him sick.
Sick with jealousy.
Shaking his head, he attempted to clear it when he suddenly caught a glimpse of something unusual, a girl sitting by herself on the swing, her head hung low and emitting an aura of depression.
It was close, he almost ignored her and walked by, as he would've done if not for the quick glimpse he got of the girls face, which made him stop in his tracks.
It was Nase. Nase Asumi, a former fellow insei student, a friend he haven't seen for a while.
At first surprised, now he felt curiosity creeping up on him, as thoughts of why Nase looked so glum filled his head. On yet another impulse, he decided to confront her.
******************************************************************
"Yo."
As she heard this greeting, Nase Asumi lifted her head slightly and found herself looking straight into the smiling, concerned face of her friend, Waya Yoshitaka.
"Hello, Waya-kun …" She said, turning her face away as to hide her swollen eyelids.
"Mind if I join you?" He then asked her, and without waiting for a reply he sat himself next to her, and began to swing.
Not responding, Asumi sat and waited, waited for the inevitable question that soon would come, questions of concern, of sympathy, asking for answers they would not understand. They could not.
But it never came. After a while, Asumi sneaked a quick look at Waya, who had stopped swinging and was now staring up at the moon, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
For a second, Asumi felt irritated at him, for first coming here and disturbing her, and then just plain ignored her, staying silent like that and not asking how she felt. Immediately afterwards, she felt slightly foolish for having those kinds of thoughts, and decided to break the silence.
"Umm, what are you looking at?" Asumi hesitantly wondered.
"The moon." Waya simply replied, as if that answered everything.
"The moon …" Asumi echoed, and joined him in his unprovoked staring contest with the greyish orb.
Looking up at the dark sky, it dominated the stars infrequent blinking with it's bright light, illuminating everything around them, only slightly dimmed by the occasional cloud swiftly whipping past the night.
An arm reached out, Wayas right hand stretched out and seemingly tried to grasp the large orb in front of him.
"If you hold your hand out like this…" Waya started, ignoring the stare he got from the girl sitting next to him, "it feels like you could catch the moon, however far it is …"
"Doesn't it?" He then asked her, finally giving her a look of partly joking, and partly seriousness.
Taking his question seriously, Asumi imitated his pose, and after a while admitted loudly that yes, it's true.
"Good!" He told her, and grinned like the Waya she always knew.
"I expect to see you by the town square fountain at 13 ó clock sharp, you understand?"
Shocked at having been asked out rather brusquely, and very unexpectedly, Asumi stammered out if it was a date he's asking for.
"Nah, it's a challenge! I challenge you to be there on time, you representative of the female gender you!" Waya laughed, and launched himself off the swing, stopping himself a few feet away from her, his back towards her. In a sudden, serious tone, he gave her his prediction.
"As long as you keep trying, one day you _will_ reach the moon, and that day will be next years Pro-exam. I'll see you tomorrow, and I'll see you then!" With these final words, Waya leapt off and left a stunned Asumi sitting there staring after him, with a tear slowly forming in her swollen eyes.
******************************************************************
"I can't stay."
Turning around, Akari pushed herself away from Hikaru's chest, on which she had been resting on and off for the last hour by talking softly, kissing and cuddling Hikaru, and just enjoying the warmth and feeling of being close to her love.
"I know" she replied, gazing deeply into his eyes. "Will you have problems with your parents? It is late, after all."
"Nah, I shouldn't think so. It's not the first time I come home this late."
"Oh?" Akari inquired suspiciously, eyeing her boyfriend through narrowed eyes. "And what were you doing out this late?"
"Uh, playing Go! What else would I be doing?" Grinning, Hikaru pulled Akari up to his lips, where they shared a long, sensual kiss, a kiss that answered all questions regarding their relationship, and more.
After a while, both pulled back, feeling all flustered and stuck in the middle of an emotional storm, a storm which would take a long time to subside, should they let themselves go with the flow.
Gently, Hikaru pushed Akari away from him and stood up, stretching in the moonlit room under the loving attention of Akari. Still fully-clothed, Hikaru only had to kneel down to tie his sneakers, before he was finished and ready to leave. Glancing out of the window, he commented with a rather surprised note that the rain had finally stopped.
Turning her head, she saw that it was true, the rain had stopped, as had the drumming on her roof. Realising that they had missed the end of the rain, she grinned inwardly, thinking that it was probably because they had been so focused on each other.
Having only heard about it before, this tingly feeling of being alone with the one you love, together in the entire universe, to suddenly have experienced it, and now crave for it with all of her heart, both amazed and scared her to no end.
What if she suddenly lost it? What if, as quickly as these emotions had blossomed, they completely eroded away, leaving mere rusty stains on her severely wounded soul? It would hurt. It would definitely hurt, Akari decided, before she shook off her fear and resolved herself to enjoy the moment. This precious moment.
Noticing him having finished tying his sneakers, Akari quickly stood up, still clad in her yellow, flower patterned pyjamas, and then walked into the arms of her boyfriend. Her boyfriend!
Pressing her small hands against his lean chest, she comfortably rested her head on his right shoulder while he gently wrapped his arms around her in a soothing embrace, casually caressing her back.
"Will I see you tomorrow?" Akari quietly whispered into Hikaru's shoulder.
"Well, I've got a pro-game to play in the afternoon, but after that … will you come to see me?"
Akari nodded slowly, then inquired about time and location, both of which she mentally noted to herself.
"I can barely wait to see you again."
"Me neither … good night, Akari-chan."
Releasing her, Hikaru walked up to the window, opened it up and climbed out onto the tiny balcony.
"Be careful!" Akari warned him, to which he nodded absentmindedly, then jumped down from the window, landing with a splash on the wet grass one floor down. Giving her a final wave, he then ran away, leaving Akari to lean out of the window and watch after him.
Having lost him to the night, Akari shut close her window and plopped back down on her slightly damp bed, seizing the pillow Hikaru had laid on.
It still smelled of him.
Cuddling the pillow close to her head, taking in the lingering, foreign smell into her nose, she felt certain that she wouldn't be haunted by sleeplessness tonight.
******************************************************************
Waya stood restlessly in front of an convenience store, leaning against the wall and looking up at the cloudy sky.
Behind him, Hikaru exited the store with two ice cream cones, then handed one to Waya. Waya thanked Hikaru, and they both walked away to a bench nearby, on which they sat and started to nibble on the cold, tasty ice.
"Heard anything from Isumi-kun yet?" Hikaru asked his friend, giving him a curious glance.
"Nah, not yet. But we were supposed to meet tomorrow for a quick game or something, you could join us if you want to. Maybe talk a little bit about that international tournament for eighteen's and under."
"What? Oh, that's right. That tournament …" Hikaru said, surprising Waya. This was not like him at all.
"Oy, you forgot about it? What's the matter? Anything troubling you?"
"I uh, I've just got something on my mind, that's all." Hikaru muttered, and from his tone Waya concluded that that was the end of the discussion, so he changed the topic.
"Anyway, regarding that tournament, there're only two spots left, you know."
"Yeah, yeah I know." Hikaru spat out, grumbling to himself and quoted the reports. "Touya Akira is exempt from the qualification rounds. Like hell he should be, just 'cause he's been a pro for a year longer than me."
'Hey, what about me?' Waya bitterly thought, but quickly shook it off. 'No use worrying about Shindou-kun and Touya-kun, I've got to beat Ochi first.'
"Oh, yeah, sorry Waya-kun. We became pros at the same time." Hikaru smiled, embarrassed. Glancing at his watch, he then finished off the rest of his ice cream, stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans.
"C'mon, I want to finish the game quickly. Got an appointment to keep."
"Yeah," Waya agreed, and joined him standing up. "Me too."
******************************************************************
While waiting for Asumi at the square, Waya got a call on his cell-phone. Eyeing the caller, he was glad to see that it was from Isumi's mobile, and quickly took the call.
"Hey, Isumi-kun! Glad you called, I was wondering about when to meet tomorrow. And oh, Shindou-kun might join us."
"Hello Waya-kun. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow …"
"Yeah? What gives?"
From the slight pause on the other side, Waya guessed that he should be expecting bad news. He was right.
"Well, you see, something came up. Something I can't cancel. So I am really sorry, but we can't get together tomorrow."
"Aww, man!" Waya complained, and could almost imagine his friend cringing. "It's been months! Ever since you left for china and the extended training period!"
"I know, I know, I am so sorry Waya-kun, but this thing that came up, I really can't cancel it. I am truly sorry."
From the sincere tone coming from his friend, Waya knew that it was pointless, so he sighed audibly and gave up. Of course, he was still disappointed, even though he will forgive Isumi, but it might help if he knew the reason, though, and this he told his friend.
He was very surprised at hearing Isumi stammer at that.
"I, I uh, I'll tell you later … okay? Please?"
"… sure thing. Later. But by then, I want to hear it all. Everything. You hear me!"
"Yes, I will tell you everything later. Let's catch up some time next week, I will call you to confirm."
"Yeah, you do that. Bye."
"Good bye, Waya-kun."
As Waya hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket, he shook his head and smiled, thinking of his friend.
"Who was that?"
Surprised, Waya leaped away from his questioner, only to see that it was Asumi, a grinning version of her at least. Her eyelids seem to have taken a more normal shape by now, Waya noted appreciatively. Now you could see her eyes …
Catching himself staring at her, he took a quick glance at the clock, which told him that she had been on time, with a marginal, and he told her that.
"Well, I didn't have that much to do at home, so I left earlier." Asumi replied, and bent her head in a querying way.
"Oh! Uh, it was Isumi. Telling me he couldn't come to our prearranged meeting, tomorrow."
"I see …" Asumi said, opening her eyes in a dramatic way. "I guess you're not burning your bridges."
Not understanding her at first, when he did, Waya sputtered and glared back at the teasing eyes he received, and in a mock attempt to recover his dignity, he headed off ahead of her. Asumi just laughed, and quickly joined him.
Ignoring the curious glances he got from her, he quickly led the way to the, for him, familiar shape of the old, run-down Go-salon.
As his companion noticed where they were headed, she stopped in her tracks and queried him about it in an obviously nervous tone.
"It's a Go-salon a few friends of mine have just taken over." Waya began, trying to ease his friend's mind. "I know, it doesn't look like much right now, but it'll get a lot better after the renovation, and a lot cooler too, with the kind of crowd they're trying to attract."
"What crowd?" Asumi asked him, and to which Waya just opened the door, revealing the musty, old room. Apart from the old and dark interior, stained wallpapers and furniture ready for the junkyard, the clientele was definitely of the more unusual sort, at least in this types of facility, which was between 20 and 30 where most Go-salons was populated by middle-aged men and above.
As she entered the room, she noted that most people were scattered around the room, either playing Go or watching a game being played. On a small table with wheels, which looked oddly mismatched to all other furniture, was a TV, showing a muted, but furiously blinking program from one of the more popular music channels.
A few heads turned around to check the new arrivals, but most stayed where it was, focused on the game. One of the first group stood up and cheerily greeted them.
"Hello, beautiful! Now what is a cute girl like you doing with Mister Bore over here?" A man in his middle twenties said, with bleached blonde hair, winking eyes and a lady-killer smile. Waya just rolled his eyes and glared at the newcomer.
"Aww, shut up Okumura-kun. Tell me, is Hiromi-sensei in?"
"Eh?" The man said, surprised. "No, she's not. Perhaps later today, who knows." They exchanged a knowing look, and then Waya thought of a good idea. Which he quickly voiced, before things turned … ugly.
"Nase-chan, this is one of the regulars here, Okumura Ken. Okumura-kun, this is Nase Asumi, one of my old insei friends."
"Please take care of me." Asumi said, and bowed to Waya's friend, who bowed back and they traded mutual greetings. "So who is this Hiromi-sensei you were talking about?"
"It's one of the owners of this place, I gather she's the reason you brought her here?" Getting an affirmative nod from Waya, Okumura smiled apologetically and told them that they might have to wait a while.
"Then we can spend some time with a game, first. Nase-chan, are you up for a game with Okumura-kun here?"
Not the least surprised, Asumi was still very hesitant to accepting the proposition. There have been a few bad memories in her past.
"Well, I don't know …" She told him, hoping that he would understand her. He might've done that, but he insisted anyway, and she had to accept.
As a table was cleared for them, Asumi had a quick, whispered conversation with Waya.
"Is this really a good thing?" She asked him, feeling nervous. "I've played Go on dates before, it went horrible. The date, I mean."
"Don't worry," Waya brushed it off, smiling back at her. "I won't leave you here with these schmucks. Besides, I love Go too, so I understand completely. And we do have time to spend."
"Well, there are other ways, you know …" Asumi hinted, casting a swift glance at the door.
Waya just smiled reassuringly, and told her that there would be time for that as well.
******************************************************************
'What is exactly going on, anyway?' Hikaru asked himself as he walked swiftly to meet his date, having finished his game quickly and left just as fast to avoid any more questions. He knew himself to be pretty spontaneous, and that he would sometimes act rashly and without thinking, but this went way beyond what he usually ended up with. As of yesterday night, he was in a relationship! He had a girlfriend! And on top of that, it was Akari! Akari, of all people!
Chuckling to himself, he wondered how long it'd take for this to end. He was already counting the days, since he knew he would not be able to hold on to this kind of thing.
It will probably be difficult. Especially after having heard all those stories from his friends, about what to do and so on. They were all complaining and loud mouthing the whole dating-process, about how the girls got under their skin and immediately dumped them when they saw even the slightest flaw in the guy. Akari will surely get to know his faults, and dump him as well.
'Although … doesn't she already know all of them?'
Feeling a slight chill sweeping through him, he tugged his coat tighter around him against the non-existent wind, and moved on.
******************************************************************
Having arrived at the agreed place, a popular meeting place for couples, Akari glanced at her wristwatch, which told her that she was half an hour early. Deciding against standing at one spot and waiting, she walked briskly around the square, looking for Hikaru. Having spotted him, she almost cheerfully called out to him, but promptly stopped herself when she noticed his dark, brooding features as he sat on a bench staring down at the ground.
Instead, Akari quietly walked around in a circle and closed in on him from his blind side. When she got close enough, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pitched up her voice and asked.
"Hey, you hunk. Want to go grab a bite with me?"
Stunned, Hikaru stood up and tried to free himself from his unexpected assailant.
"Sorry, I'm waiting for someone." He admitted and started blushing as he felt something – he had a good idea what they were – poking him on his back.
"Aww, what I shame. And here I thought we had a date you and I." Akari giggled, having reverted to her own voice.
Wide-eyed, Hikaru turned around and stared deep into Akari's eyes.
Akari, in turn, blushed up into Hikaru's stare, noticing how his earlier tense features vanished like a cloud on a sunny day.
Having overcome his initial surprise, he gently hugged her back, still looking deep into her eyes, and in his best apologetic voice, he told her the bad news.
"I'm sorry, it was cancelled. Didn't my secretary call you?"
"I think she did, but I ignored her, since I wanted to see you so much."
"Che, it can't be helped then. I guess I'll dump her and settle with you, instead."
"You better!" Akari laughed, broke their embrace and rushed off, winking back at him.
Hikaru smiled back at her, and quickly followed her trail.
******************************************************************
Author's Notes:
O_o
First of all, I sincerely thank you all for reading, appreciating, and above all, commenting on this little piece of work I wrote half a year ago.
Things have been … strange, and hectic, and my life is quite a mess, so writing haven't really been something I've felt like doing since the first chapter of this story was posted.
In truth, after having written about half of chapter 2, summer came along and things happened, which resulted in me forgetting about it for a long time, and for the brief periods of when I do remembered, I just didn't feel like writing. It felt … difficult, sitting down, opening my laptop and … write.
But, always in those periods, I was constantly surprised, and very pleased, that comments was still posted, and they all egged me on until last Christmas, when I felt that Enough was Enough. I need to start writing again!
Of course, having a friend (let's call him the Aussie Anime Fanboy, he knows who I mean) being a fan of The Move and constantly asking me about it's progress helped as well. He often bombards me with suggestions as well, most of which is very appreciated, some used or will be used, but a lot just hilarious. Thank you.
So cheers to him, and cheers to you all.
Regarding my thoughts of there being a throng of yaoi/shounen ai fanfics in the HnG section, I'm glad that I wasn't the only one. However good, or imaginative these stories might be, since in my opinion it's quite unfitting of their personality and character to even Be contemplating a homosexual relationship, I'm not into reading any of the sort.
If it was a fanfic involving anime characters that Are homosexual, and which I liked, then that would be a completely different thing.
This, btw, also applies to the Naruto-section, where it's perhaps even More Terrible than over here, LOL!
(And yes, yes, I _am_ considering writing a _straight_ Naruto fanfic, I do have some ideas floating around. Please comment on this possibility.)
I hope I made myself clear, and I beg you all yaoi/shounen-ai fangirls to have mercy on my poor soul. :)
Anyway, with this chapter I bring you the (possible) match up of Nase Asumi and Waya Yoshitaka, starting on one of many sidetracks along the Hikaru/Akari storyline.
It's just the first of many, and will include new, hopefully lovable characters, so please stick with me, and give me your thoughts and feelings regarding the characters soon joining the crew.
Btw, all the characters might not be truly IC, as I admit it has been a while I saw the series, but I will try my best to reflect them as true as I can.
Last, but not least, I beg forgiveness for my past, and future mistakes regarding Japanese name-suffices, but I will keep using them as they, in my humble opinion, quite clearly reflect the relationship between two people through their usage.
That was all for today, I hope that you will enjoy this chapter at least as much as the first chapter, and I sincerely hope that you won't have to wait for the next chapter as long as this one.
As always, please R&R, and I do hope you realise that it works.
If not for all your constantly flowing comments, it might've been a years waiting time instead! :)
Yours
/DeadMeat
P.S. Still kawaii, even after half a years absence. D.S.