Thank you as always to the people who reviewed! You're all so kind - I
don't deserve such nice comments, since I more or less failed my way
through English. ^^;;; Well, I've finally been able to see the Hikaru no
Go anime, and could scarcely contain my excitement: "They move, they MOVE!"
^^;;; Uhh... I don't think I've even attempted to play Go since middle
school or so, but I maybe I'll try my school's club... But now I'm all
impatient to see Isumi animated in all his self-depreciating glory, so
naturally this is an Isumi chapter...
Chapter Ten: Hanachirusato - Scattering Flowers
Was it really Waya, or had Le Ping just grown taller? In past two months spent in China, Isumi had divided his thoughts pretty much equally between Go and Waya. Possibly a little more for Waya... It felt good to be back in Japan again. From across the street, Waya noticed him staring and started to wave.
"Isumi!!" Thankfully the traffic had stopped when Waya dashed across the street, meeting Isumi halfway and dragging him into the nearest restaurant, a McDonald's that was fortunately near empty. "You were gone so long that I sold all your stuff to Ochi. Just kidding!" Waya ran a hand through unruly brown hair, rolling his eyes at the older boy. He ordered two meals and began to search through his pockets for money, but Isumi manage to produce a crumpled 1000-yen note. Waya, as usual, accepted the "loan." Just like old times...nothing was different. "You could have called a little more, or something. When you telephoned yesterday from the airport, I was so surprised that I didn't even recognize your voice at first."
How was Isumi supposed to say that the reason for his long-distance silence was that he was afraid of betraying his true feelings? Even now, his hands were trembling. Feigning nonchalance, he folded them across his chest as they sat across from each other in the small booth; the Big Mac advertisement filtered the light that poured over Waya's face into brilliant colors.
"Um... well... I..." Thankfully Isumi didn't have to elaborate on how exactly he had spent his time... he imagined telling Waya about Yang Hai and flushed. Waya, though, was already leaping on to the next subject.
"I expected you to look older! Didn't they feed you anything in China? Did you kick their asses?"
"Umm... well I started out a little poorly, but... it was okay. The Chinese students are really tough! Maybe even harder to beat than the Korean insei... Oh! There was a guy who looked almost exactly like you; called Le Ping."
"Le Ping?" echoed Waya, sounding out the foreign name. "Was he cuter than me?" Waya let out a loud laugh, slurping his soda.
"He was twelve!" Waya didn't look much more mature, letting the end of the French fry he was nibbling to hang out of his mouth.
"I want to play him! There's no substitute for the real Waya!" Waya paused, biting his lip. "Oh yeah... you said on the phone that there was something you wanted to tell me."
Isumi blanched, but the colored light from the window masked his expression well enough. He wasn't ready... how did people do this on TV? Why had he spent so much time studying Go instead of preparing for even more stressful situations like this? The "Yang Hai" approach was a bit extreme....
"I... Oh! When I was at the airport, I found an issue of Weekly Go at the magazine shop. It said Shindou lost by forfeit - did something happen to him? Is he sick?" Waya furrowed his brow and looked towards the window.
"It's nothing new. Shindou's forfeited every match since May. He doesn't even show up. I was pissed at him for a while... but I guess he's got his reasons for not talking to anyone. Maybe you should speak with him." The last sentance was oddly flat, coming from someone as energetic as Waya.
Isumi internally winced. Was that meant as a comment about Isumi, too? That was the last thing he had wanted... to alienate Waya. But in his selfishness, he must have angered his closest friend. Or caused him to worry... hos disgustingly selfish. Isumi's anxiety was compunded by shame. How could he make Waya understand the truth - that his feelings were the sort that could not be spoken? If only things didn't have to change...
"Waya... why don't we go to the park?"
"What for?"
"Sakura viewing..."
"Uhh... Isumi, it's summer..."
"What, you think the sakura are going to wait for us?" Isumi laughed a bit, trying to sound carefree. Cherry trees bloomed only a few days before the blossoms began to scatter, but the leaves remained. Except for a few days on the very cusp of spring, no one remembered the cherry trees - their plain greenery faded into the background, allowing other flowers to fight with colors that seemed gaudy and tasteless compared to the first fading hints of pink.
Waya shrugged and tossed his leftovers in the trash. The park was only a block away, across the street. The walk through the pedestrian tunnel that ran under the street was oddly quiet, just a muted exchange of updates on friends. Nase, Fuku, even Ochi... two months apart seemed like a lifetime. Even the city he had grown up in felt a little changed. And with Shindou's mysterious disappearance from the Go world, only Waya was as he remembered.
"Hey, this is where we had a picnic last spring, right?" asked the tousle-haired boy, pointing to a small grove of trees. "It's still kind of pretty."
"Yeah." Isumi wasn't looking at the trees. His gaze flicked from his own shoes, to the back of Waya's head, and then back to the ground again. "I had something else to tell you, too."
"Huh? What's that?" Waya turned back around to face Isumi, then leaned his body against one of the low-growing trees. Isumi settled against the same tree, thankful for the leaf-covered branches that gave him some shelter. On the other side of a patchy curtain of leaves was the person he loved more than anything in the world. Love. It was no longer something that Isumi was capable of denying or hiding.
"I... I did a lot of thinking while I was in China. About... things that are important to me. First, I'm going to pass the pro exam this year. The only reason I couldn't do it before was that I never pursued anything with my whole heart - I was afraid. Of a lot of things." Isumi took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. Waya must have sensed this, because he didn't say anything.
"But I didn't need two months alone to figure just that out. There's something more important than pro exams, even... I always knew, but it wasn't something I could put into words..." Isumi trailed off, leaving several awkward seconds before Waya's hesitant, almost whispered request to continue. He couldn't see Waya's face through the pattern of leaves, so this was almost like a confession. The more he said, the easier it became.
"I... you... Waya, I think I love you." There, it was done. Isumi slumped against the tree, allowing the tension in his body to be carried away into the ground. It lacked the passionate efficiency of the kiss from Yang Hai that still lingered on his lips, but it was Isumi's own declaration. He could only look at the ground and wonder what Waya was thinking. Was this the end of their friendship?
"Isumi?" Isumi raised his head only to be startled by a disembodied face framed by leaves. Waya, breaking through Isumi's curtain like it didn't exist at all. "Isumi, why won;t you look at me?"
"It's nothing... ignore me. We should go home."
"But we haven't finished yet." Isumi's eyes widened - what did Waya mean? "I thought you would kiss me."
"You... want me to...?" For a second, Isumi's terrifed eyes met Waya's earnest ones, and something beyond words was exchanged.
"Un." Waya blushed furiously, pushing the leaves from his face with his hands. "I... I don't know. It's weird to think about! But... I kind of hoped that... Isumi, I've been thinking about you, too! Shindou changed and everyone was busy with pro matches or... the other insei stopped calling me just plain 'Waya' and I wondered if it was me who was different. And without you... I never realised how important you are to me."
"Waya..."
"Was that supposed to be a confession?" Waya grinned, the familiar light coming back to his face. "Kiss me, you idiot, or I'll never shut up."
Isumi complied only too willingly. Reaching through the low branches and completing the circle between them, finally closing all point of contact. Waya's lips were soft; and when Isumi closed his eyes, he could see the sakura falling.
Useful Japanese Section!:
Hanachirusato- Chapter 11 of "Genji", meaning "falling flowers"... specifically the sakura, long a symbol of innocence and transient beauty. sakura - Japanese cherry tree, which I figure everyone knows but I'll put it just to be safe. Lots of people go on sakura-viewing picnics at parks or shrines. If you've never been to a Sakura Matsuri (sakura festival), see if there is one in your area!
Chapter Ten: Hanachirusato - Scattering Flowers
Was it really Waya, or had Le Ping just grown taller? In past two months spent in China, Isumi had divided his thoughts pretty much equally between Go and Waya. Possibly a little more for Waya... It felt good to be back in Japan again. From across the street, Waya noticed him staring and started to wave.
"Isumi!!" Thankfully the traffic had stopped when Waya dashed across the street, meeting Isumi halfway and dragging him into the nearest restaurant, a McDonald's that was fortunately near empty. "You were gone so long that I sold all your stuff to Ochi. Just kidding!" Waya ran a hand through unruly brown hair, rolling his eyes at the older boy. He ordered two meals and began to search through his pockets for money, but Isumi manage to produce a crumpled 1000-yen note. Waya, as usual, accepted the "loan." Just like old times...nothing was different. "You could have called a little more, or something. When you telephoned yesterday from the airport, I was so surprised that I didn't even recognize your voice at first."
How was Isumi supposed to say that the reason for his long-distance silence was that he was afraid of betraying his true feelings? Even now, his hands were trembling. Feigning nonchalance, he folded them across his chest as they sat across from each other in the small booth; the Big Mac advertisement filtered the light that poured over Waya's face into brilliant colors.
"Um... well... I..." Thankfully Isumi didn't have to elaborate on how exactly he had spent his time... he imagined telling Waya about Yang Hai and flushed. Waya, though, was already leaping on to the next subject.
"I expected you to look older! Didn't they feed you anything in China? Did you kick their asses?"
"Umm... well I started out a little poorly, but... it was okay. The Chinese students are really tough! Maybe even harder to beat than the Korean insei... Oh! There was a guy who looked almost exactly like you; called Le Ping."
"Le Ping?" echoed Waya, sounding out the foreign name. "Was he cuter than me?" Waya let out a loud laugh, slurping his soda.
"He was twelve!" Waya didn't look much more mature, letting the end of the French fry he was nibbling to hang out of his mouth.
"I want to play him! There's no substitute for the real Waya!" Waya paused, biting his lip. "Oh yeah... you said on the phone that there was something you wanted to tell me."
Isumi blanched, but the colored light from the window masked his expression well enough. He wasn't ready... how did people do this on TV? Why had he spent so much time studying Go instead of preparing for even more stressful situations like this? The "Yang Hai" approach was a bit extreme....
"I... Oh! When I was at the airport, I found an issue of Weekly Go at the magazine shop. It said Shindou lost by forfeit - did something happen to him? Is he sick?" Waya furrowed his brow and looked towards the window.
"It's nothing new. Shindou's forfeited every match since May. He doesn't even show up. I was pissed at him for a while... but I guess he's got his reasons for not talking to anyone. Maybe you should speak with him." The last sentance was oddly flat, coming from someone as energetic as Waya.
Isumi internally winced. Was that meant as a comment about Isumi, too? That was the last thing he had wanted... to alienate Waya. But in his selfishness, he must have angered his closest friend. Or caused him to worry... hos disgustingly selfish. Isumi's anxiety was compunded by shame. How could he make Waya understand the truth - that his feelings were the sort that could not be spoken? If only things didn't have to change...
"Waya... why don't we go to the park?"
"What for?"
"Sakura viewing..."
"Uhh... Isumi, it's summer..."
"What, you think the sakura are going to wait for us?" Isumi laughed a bit, trying to sound carefree. Cherry trees bloomed only a few days before the blossoms began to scatter, but the leaves remained. Except for a few days on the very cusp of spring, no one remembered the cherry trees - their plain greenery faded into the background, allowing other flowers to fight with colors that seemed gaudy and tasteless compared to the first fading hints of pink.
Waya shrugged and tossed his leftovers in the trash. The park was only a block away, across the street. The walk through the pedestrian tunnel that ran under the street was oddly quiet, just a muted exchange of updates on friends. Nase, Fuku, even Ochi... two months apart seemed like a lifetime. Even the city he had grown up in felt a little changed. And with Shindou's mysterious disappearance from the Go world, only Waya was as he remembered.
"Hey, this is where we had a picnic last spring, right?" asked the tousle-haired boy, pointing to a small grove of trees. "It's still kind of pretty."
"Yeah." Isumi wasn't looking at the trees. His gaze flicked from his own shoes, to the back of Waya's head, and then back to the ground again. "I had something else to tell you, too."
"Huh? What's that?" Waya turned back around to face Isumi, then leaned his body against one of the low-growing trees. Isumi settled against the same tree, thankful for the leaf-covered branches that gave him some shelter. On the other side of a patchy curtain of leaves was the person he loved more than anything in the world. Love. It was no longer something that Isumi was capable of denying or hiding.
"I... I did a lot of thinking while I was in China. About... things that are important to me. First, I'm going to pass the pro exam this year. The only reason I couldn't do it before was that I never pursued anything with my whole heart - I was afraid. Of a lot of things." Isumi took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. Waya must have sensed this, because he didn't say anything.
"But I didn't need two months alone to figure just that out. There's something more important than pro exams, even... I always knew, but it wasn't something I could put into words..." Isumi trailed off, leaving several awkward seconds before Waya's hesitant, almost whispered request to continue. He couldn't see Waya's face through the pattern of leaves, so this was almost like a confession. The more he said, the easier it became.
"I... you... Waya, I think I love you." There, it was done. Isumi slumped against the tree, allowing the tension in his body to be carried away into the ground. It lacked the passionate efficiency of the kiss from Yang Hai that still lingered on his lips, but it was Isumi's own declaration. He could only look at the ground and wonder what Waya was thinking. Was this the end of their friendship?
"Isumi?" Isumi raised his head only to be startled by a disembodied face framed by leaves. Waya, breaking through Isumi's curtain like it didn't exist at all. "Isumi, why won;t you look at me?"
"It's nothing... ignore me. We should go home."
"But we haven't finished yet." Isumi's eyes widened - what did Waya mean? "I thought you would kiss me."
"You... want me to...?" For a second, Isumi's terrifed eyes met Waya's earnest ones, and something beyond words was exchanged.
"Un." Waya blushed furiously, pushing the leaves from his face with his hands. "I... I don't know. It's weird to think about! But... I kind of hoped that... Isumi, I've been thinking about you, too! Shindou changed and everyone was busy with pro matches or... the other insei stopped calling me just plain 'Waya' and I wondered if it was me who was different. And without you... I never realised how important you are to me."
"Waya..."
"Was that supposed to be a confession?" Waya grinned, the familiar light coming back to his face. "Kiss me, you idiot, or I'll never shut up."
Isumi complied only too willingly. Reaching through the low branches and completing the circle between them, finally closing all point of contact. Waya's lips were soft; and when Isumi closed his eyes, he could see the sakura falling.
Useful Japanese Section!:
Hanachirusato- Chapter 11 of "Genji", meaning "falling flowers"... specifically the sakura, long a symbol of innocence and transient beauty. sakura - Japanese cherry tree, which I figure everyone knows but I'll put it just to be safe. Lots of people go on sakura-viewing picnics at parks or shrines. If you've never been to a Sakura Matsuri (sakura festival), see if there is one in your area!