Akira felt the urge to go after his angry rival but thought better of it. Hikaru had left furious, not 'You-are-a-jerk-Touya-I'm-leaving!' kind of angry, this was real.

"Who are you?" he asked rudely to the long-haired boy who was now staring around with open curiosity. Akira flinched when the sharp blue eyes settled on him. Why had Hikaru confused him with Sai? Was Sai a person then?

"Call me Rei," he said simply starting to walk around, lifting the lids of the stone boxes on each Go board to see its contents. "He ran into me yesterday and called me Sai, who's that?"

"I don't know," Akira said truthfully. "How did you know Shindou was here, did you know him already?"

"Nah, I recognized him from Weekly Go so I called that place the—the Japan Go Research center, yeah that place, and they told me he would be here," he was now upon Kurata and Isumi's game looking down at it critically.

"Why go through all the trouble?" Akira asked suspiciously.

Rei smirked, looking at him as if it was the most stupid and obvious question in the world, Akira began to fume but waited.

"Because he is Hikaru Shindou, that's why."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kurata piped refusing to be left out of the conversation.

Rei rolled his eyes, "Famous pro seventeen year old who is four-dan and hasn't lost a game in about a whole year, he became an insei after only playing Go for a year, you would wanna meet him if you got the chance, right?"

"Well, it was a waste of time," he continued after no one answered, "I wanted to play a game against him but he's a sort of a hothead."

"Hikaru isn't a hothead, you insulted him somehow," Akira snapped.
Isumi and Kurata exchanged looks. Had that really come out of Akira Touya's mouth? He was the one who would rage of Hikaru's immature temper for hours on end after Hikaru had stormed off.

"Hey, I'm the one who was insulted, the guy didn't even say thanks," Rei said in mock indignation. They glared at each other until Rei blinked and broke into a broad, cunning grin. Akira also blinked taken aback.

"I barely noticed!" Rei laughed, "You are the famous Akira Touya!"

Something about the tone assured Akira that he wasn't being given a compliment.

"Let's play a game," Rei said sitting where Hikaru had sat minutes before, "You can have a handicap of four stones."

You can have a handicap of four stones…

Both Isumi and Kurata could feel the heat radiating out of Touya who looked murderous.

"A-a handicap? Are you a pro kid?" Kurata asked hurriedly.

"Nope, I have better stuff to do than play Go all the time, are you gonna play or not?"

Akira took a seat, they did nigiri. The boy Rei was white and he would be black. Rei took four black stones and placed them on the board for Akira: a handicap.

Akira swiped the stones of the board to the basket, he was livid. Rei chuckled, "You're funny, hey if I win will you tell Shindou to play me?"

"What if you loose?" Akira asked through clenched teeth slamming a stone on the board.

"I won't."

Hikaru was looking up at the sky but not really looking at it. His mind was back in the Go salon with the arrogant replica of Sai who had so carelessly thrown the fan to the floor and called it trash. Feeling something drip on his hand he looked at the can of soda he had been grasping so tight it had begun to crush spilling its contents all over.

"Damn…"

He threw the can away and washed his hand in the nearest water fountain. He was in the park trying to cool off. That guy, ugh, that guy! It pissed him off. It was like the last North Star Cup all over again except there wasn't a guy boasting of being better than Sai, there was a guy unknowingly boasting he was Sai, how infuriating. He wasn't Sai, he wasn't!

He was angry, that much was true but he was also disappointed which was worse…he had had some hope if only for a second, well more than a second actually. He hadn't gotten much sleep thinking of how it might be Sai, just might.

No…the eyes were mocking not warm and kind…how could he have been so stupid as to mistake that guy—that guy with…

'Forget about it,' he told himself.

He began to worry about having left so suddenly, Kurata probably wouldn't be pleased. Not with the North Star Cup being so close and all…

And Akira would be the worst tomorrow scolding him for hours and—Akira!

"I can't believe I ever thought you were Sai."

He had said this in front of Akira without meaning to.

"I won't get him off my back now," he groaned out loud. Akira hadn't bothered him much after their first official match two years ago when he had promised to tell him 'someday' the truth about Sai but he was quite the stubborn guy. He would probably use his slip of the tongue to make him finally spill the beans.

"I'll go eat ramen somewhere to calm my nerves then go home," he said out loud to no one but passersby heard and stared at the bleach-haired boy wondering if he was okay in the head.

'Yeah! I'll put this all behind me and eat,' he stood up and stretched, resolved to make the rest of this day a better one.

"Hikaru! Hi-Hikaru!"

Isumi came running out of nowhere clutching a stitch in his side.

"What, breathe Isumi, what's wrong?"

"Y-you have to come," he gasped gripping Hikaru's arm and pulling breaking into another painful run. They ran all the way to the Go salon, Hikaru could tell Isumi was more than out of breath but he had refused to stop.

They went in, the first thing Hikaru noticed was how silent it was, there was no stones being put down or soft murmurs going about. His insides stopped cold at the side that awaited him; it was Akira. He was seated, his head bowed down, Hikaru could see he was breathing heavily. The dark hair covered his expression but Hikaru knew...he knew what was hidden under the curtain of hair having seen it a few times a long, long time ago. Humiliation, sadness and disappointment all merged together.

The Go board was still laid out plain for everyone to see. Hikaru couldn't help but gasp; it was a seven moku difference. Black had been massacred mercilessly without any hope.

"Touya, were you white?" Hikaru asked dumbly already knowing the answer. The slight shake of head proved him right.

"It was that guy who came to leave you your fan, Rei," Kurata said softly. He looked at Touya with sympathy but Hikaru saw the flash of interest in his eyes when he turned to the Go board. "He said he wasn't a pro."

"He wasn't a pro," Hikaru repeated softly.

"He wants to play you," Isumi said suddenly, Akira looked up rather sharply.

"Play…me?"

Isumi nodded, "He goes to Sekai High, he said to go to the go club they have tomorrow afternoon if you have time."

Akira turned to Shindou who had gone quiet his eyes on the Go board. He saw Shindou nod, getting that look only he knew too well. It was the look that he had gotten every time someone had mentioned Shindou two years before. The look of deep competitiveness and fervent anticipation.

"I'll go," Shindou declared glaring fiercely at the board then at his fan in his hand.

Akira had felt that loosing the game a few minutes ago had been the worst thing that had ever happened to him but seeing Shindou with that look now…

"He can't be your rival forever"

Had they reached the crossroads Isumi had mentioned?

'No! I'm Shindou's rival and he is mine! My rival, mine.'