Author's note: And I FINALLY have time to sit down and type! I've taken
another step towards madness..... now I'm working on four fanfictions: this
one, A Lily and James Story: Sixth Year (Harry Potter), Happy Birthday Lan!
(Megaman) and Mine (Shaman King, but hasn't been uploaded yet). And all the
creative writing stuff (my teacher gave me an 85 for the quarter.... AN
85!!!) is loading up fast..... and now all the MLA-format papers are coming
up. I'm writing too much..... in fact, all that writing has been taking an
effect on whenever I write in my journals. Lately I haven't seemed like
myself and I'm trying to put it all back together again because it feels
like I'm not even writing in my journal.... Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: Not mine....
Chapter Four- Is it Love?
Akari sat on Hikaru's bed, watching him pack things for the night.
"Are you sure you don't need help, Hikaru?" she tried asking him.
Hikaru looked up from his drawers. 'No, that's okay, Akari. I'm only staying overnight, so I don't need much."
Akari sighed. "Okay." Glancing around the room, her eyes fell upon Hikaru's goban.
"What Dan are you again?"
"3-Dan and trying for 4-Dan. I'm going to the Go Institute tomorrow morning to watch a higher-Dan match. Have you ever been there before?" Hikaru asked, taking his bookbag out of his closet.
Akari knelt in front of the goban, as if to play a game. "No, I never have a reason to. I still play at high school tournaments though," Akari said, smiling.
"Ah...... what board do you play?"
"Second board..... the same as when we were in Haze Jr. High." Akari drew a black stone out of the bowl and placed it on one of the star points.
"You can come to the Institute tomorrow and watch the match. There's a room that we can watch from," Hikaru suggested with a grin.
Akari suddenly looked hesitant. 'But I won't know anybody else there."
"Ummm...... some friends of mine will be there also. I'm sure they'd like you..... Waya, Isumi, Nase, Fuku, Akira..... I think that's it." Hikaru zipped up his bookbag now laden with clothes.
"I remember Akira from a couple of years ago, but I've never met any of the others you mentioned," Akari said, as she stood up away from the goban and followed Hikaru downstairs.
"Well, they all live in Tokyo, but different areas," Hikaru explained.
"And are they all pros like you?"
"Yeah; Nase and Fuku are beginner dans, Isumi's a 2-Dan, Waya's a 4-Dan and Akira's a 5-Dan."
Akari's face saddened. "And they'll be sitting with a mere second captain."
Hikaru stopped short and turned around to look at Akari. "Don't think of it that way. All of the people sitting in the viewing room have a great love for Go and anticipate a new page in the game's history to unfold before their eyes. It can happen." He told her consolingly, trying to make her smile. And he succeeded.
'Thanks Hikaru," Akari replied, turning a bit red in the cheeks.
A few minutes later, Akari unlocked the front door of her house and let the two of them inside. Akari went to the kitchen to put her rose in a small vase and Hikaru brought his bag over to his sleeping spot in the living room. Now the room was quiet, he thought, despite the clanging of the glasses and water running in the kitchen. Thinking about what happened over the past few hours, he suddenly remembered what he said he'd do to Akari later. With that in mind, he made his way to the kitchen. There, Akari had just set the vase on the kitchen table. Seeing Hikaru enter the room, she pointed at the digital clock on the stovetop.
"It's 9:50. That was really good timing in getting us back here," she said, tucking her hair behind her shoulders.
Hikaru shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your parents..... although, to be honest, I didn't even look at the clock while we were at my house.... So yeah, it was good timing," he replied amusedly.
"So, do you think there is anything else to do tonight? 9:50's still too early to go to sleep."
Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, there is, but you have to promise to not kill me in the process," he warned as he led her back into the living room, where there was a clear open space. Akari unknowingly followed him.
"I don't have any reason to kill you...." And for the second time that evening, she was being tickled. Akari fell down to the floor, laughing hard. "Hikaru!" she shrieked happily as a laughing Hikaru got on the floor next to her and continued tickling whatever part of her upper body he could reach. That was a bit hard because Akari squirmed around a lot.
Half an hour later, Hikaru was on the floor, physically exhausted. Akari lay next to him, running her hand through his hair. "Any more surprises you're going to pull on me, Hikaru?" she asked.
Hikaru shook his head. "That's all Akari Fujisaki gets until next time," he replied.
"Then I eagerly await until next time," Akari said enthusiastically, as she put her head on his chest.
"I know I've said this before, but you've changed, Hikaru," she added. Hikaru smiled.
"You have also, Akari, in every good possible way."
Akari became silent at the sound of his voice. It had been full of genuine passion and love......but at the moment, she felt that she couldn't respond to what he had said. Her heart rapidly beating, Akari shakily got up and went up to her room.
Hikaru looked at her retreating figure. She looked as if she wanted to be alone, and made no move to follow her. Having nothing else to do, Hikaru figured he'd might as well go to bed. Assuming Akari changed in her bedroom, Hikaru took hold of his backpack and headed for the bathroom.
Shortly after, Hikaru strode out of the room, already wearing his pajamas. Before doing anything else, he looked at Akari's bedroom door. As no light could be seen through the gap at the bottom, Akari had obviously turned her light off.
Out of courtesy, Hikaru went downstairs and set out a place on the couch from him to sleep on. He could've knocked on Akari's door, that was true, but the way that she went upstairs inferred to the fact that she wanted to be alone. Reluctantly, Hikaru turned off the lights in the house and soon fell asleep.
Akari remained quiet until he was sleeping. Since she went upstairs, she had gone straight to bed, staring at her white ceiling in the darkness. Did they really love each other? From a young age, Akari had always gotten lost in his soft green eyes, and couldn't resist being happy whenever a bright smile appeared on his face. His happiness had always been so contagious.
By the time they had turned ten years old, Akari had already secretly admitted to having a crush on Hikaru, who had just started sporting his golden bangs. It was also from that time that Akari had begun fantasizing about her first kiss and how badly she wanted to share it with Hikaru.
Well, after a couple of years of detachment, it happened. Three sweet kisses.... She craved so much more, but she said she'd wait. She promised that to Hikaru a couple of hours ago... and did Hikaru think of her anyway?
He had said that she was pretty, they kissed, he asked her out.... No, Akari decided... it was all just attraction. That's all it was. He didn't love her.
'Then what was today?' she thought bitterly. Maybe, in the morning, she would find a way to avoid Hikaru, so he would end up going to the Institute alone. And for the rest of summer break, she would stay indoors so Hikaru wouldn't follow her around like he used to.
There was only a little more than a month before school began again. It was an added plus that Hikaru decided not to go on to high school, choosing to focus on his career as a professional Go player.
So, he couldn't pester her during the school year... but she was being awful! Even if it wasn't love that existed between them, they had been best friends for a long time..... doing those things would mean shunning a former best friend.
And that would mean there would be two broken hearts. No... solely for the memories of a great childhood, she would go with him to the Institute. But after that, she would go back to being on her own. Now set in her mind, she sat up to prepare for bed.
Sorry it was short....I do have part of chapter five done already and I could have put some of it in here, but it would have sounded weird......thanks for all the reviews and I hope you guys kinda liked this chapter... just to let you all know, I have my final exams in two weeks, so I'll hardly have time to write... my high school graduation is June 5 (yayyyyyyyyyyy), then starting June 21, I'll be away for two weeks... so if I don't update between my graduation and before I'm gone.... There won't be another update until early or mid July.
Disclaimer: Not mine....
Chapter Four- Is it Love?
Akari sat on Hikaru's bed, watching him pack things for the night.
"Are you sure you don't need help, Hikaru?" she tried asking him.
Hikaru looked up from his drawers. 'No, that's okay, Akari. I'm only staying overnight, so I don't need much."
Akari sighed. "Okay." Glancing around the room, her eyes fell upon Hikaru's goban.
"What Dan are you again?"
"3-Dan and trying for 4-Dan. I'm going to the Go Institute tomorrow morning to watch a higher-Dan match. Have you ever been there before?" Hikaru asked, taking his bookbag out of his closet.
Akari knelt in front of the goban, as if to play a game. "No, I never have a reason to. I still play at high school tournaments though," Akari said, smiling.
"Ah...... what board do you play?"
"Second board..... the same as when we were in Haze Jr. High." Akari drew a black stone out of the bowl and placed it on one of the star points.
"You can come to the Institute tomorrow and watch the match. There's a room that we can watch from," Hikaru suggested with a grin.
Akari suddenly looked hesitant. 'But I won't know anybody else there."
"Ummm...... some friends of mine will be there also. I'm sure they'd like you..... Waya, Isumi, Nase, Fuku, Akira..... I think that's it." Hikaru zipped up his bookbag now laden with clothes.
"I remember Akira from a couple of years ago, but I've never met any of the others you mentioned," Akari said, as she stood up away from the goban and followed Hikaru downstairs.
"Well, they all live in Tokyo, but different areas," Hikaru explained.
"And are they all pros like you?"
"Yeah; Nase and Fuku are beginner dans, Isumi's a 2-Dan, Waya's a 4-Dan and Akira's a 5-Dan."
Akari's face saddened. "And they'll be sitting with a mere second captain."
Hikaru stopped short and turned around to look at Akari. "Don't think of it that way. All of the people sitting in the viewing room have a great love for Go and anticipate a new page in the game's history to unfold before their eyes. It can happen." He told her consolingly, trying to make her smile. And he succeeded.
'Thanks Hikaru," Akari replied, turning a bit red in the cheeks.
A few minutes later, Akari unlocked the front door of her house and let the two of them inside. Akari went to the kitchen to put her rose in a small vase and Hikaru brought his bag over to his sleeping spot in the living room. Now the room was quiet, he thought, despite the clanging of the glasses and water running in the kitchen. Thinking about what happened over the past few hours, he suddenly remembered what he said he'd do to Akari later. With that in mind, he made his way to the kitchen. There, Akari had just set the vase on the kitchen table. Seeing Hikaru enter the room, she pointed at the digital clock on the stovetop.
"It's 9:50. That was really good timing in getting us back here," she said, tucking her hair behind her shoulders.
Hikaru shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your parents..... although, to be honest, I didn't even look at the clock while we were at my house.... So yeah, it was good timing," he replied amusedly.
"So, do you think there is anything else to do tonight? 9:50's still too early to go to sleep."
Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, there is, but you have to promise to not kill me in the process," he warned as he led her back into the living room, where there was a clear open space. Akari unknowingly followed him.
"I don't have any reason to kill you...." And for the second time that evening, she was being tickled. Akari fell down to the floor, laughing hard. "Hikaru!" she shrieked happily as a laughing Hikaru got on the floor next to her and continued tickling whatever part of her upper body he could reach. That was a bit hard because Akari squirmed around a lot.
Half an hour later, Hikaru was on the floor, physically exhausted. Akari lay next to him, running her hand through his hair. "Any more surprises you're going to pull on me, Hikaru?" she asked.
Hikaru shook his head. "That's all Akari Fujisaki gets until next time," he replied.
"Then I eagerly await until next time," Akari said enthusiastically, as she put her head on his chest.
"I know I've said this before, but you've changed, Hikaru," she added. Hikaru smiled.
"You have also, Akari, in every good possible way."
Akari became silent at the sound of his voice. It had been full of genuine passion and love......but at the moment, she felt that she couldn't respond to what he had said. Her heart rapidly beating, Akari shakily got up and went up to her room.
Hikaru looked at her retreating figure. She looked as if she wanted to be alone, and made no move to follow her. Having nothing else to do, Hikaru figured he'd might as well go to bed. Assuming Akari changed in her bedroom, Hikaru took hold of his backpack and headed for the bathroom.
Shortly after, Hikaru strode out of the room, already wearing his pajamas. Before doing anything else, he looked at Akari's bedroom door. As no light could be seen through the gap at the bottom, Akari had obviously turned her light off.
Out of courtesy, Hikaru went downstairs and set out a place on the couch from him to sleep on. He could've knocked on Akari's door, that was true, but the way that she went upstairs inferred to the fact that she wanted to be alone. Reluctantly, Hikaru turned off the lights in the house and soon fell asleep.
Akari remained quiet until he was sleeping. Since she went upstairs, she had gone straight to bed, staring at her white ceiling in the darkness. Did they really love each other? From a young age, Akari had always gotten lost in his soft green eyes, and couldn't resist being happy whenever a bright smile appeared on his face. His happiness had always been so contagious.
By the time they had turned ten years old, Akari had already secretly admitted to having a crush on Hikaru, who had just started sporting his golden bangs. It was also from that time that Akari had begun fantasizing about her first kiss and how badly she wanted to share it with Hikaru.
Well, after a couple of years of detachment, it happened. Three sweet kisses.... She craved so much more, but she said she'd wait. She promised that to Hikaru a couple of hours ago... and did Hikaru think of her anyway?
He had said that she was pretty, they kissed, he asked her out.... No, Akari decided... it was all just attraction. That's all it was. He didn't love her.
'Then what was today?' she thought bitterly. Maybe, in the morning, she would find a way to avoid Hikaru, so he would end up going to the Institute alone. And for the rest of summer break, she would stay indoors so Hikaru wouldn't follow her around like he used to.
There was only a little more than a month before school began again. It was an added plus that Hikaru decided not to go on to high school, choosing to focus on his career as a professional Go player.
So, he couldn't pester her during the school year... but she was being awful! Even if it wasn't love that existed between them, they had been best friends for a long time..... doing those things would mean shunning a former best friend.
And that would mean there would be two broken hearts. No... solely for the memories of a great childhood, she would go with him to the Institute. But after that, she would go back to being on her own. Now set in her mind, she sat up to prepare for bed.
Sorry it was short....I do have part of chapter five done already and I could have put some of it in here, but it would have sounded weird......thanks for all the reviews and I hope you guys kinda liked this chapter... just to let you all know, I have my final exams in two weeks, so I'll hardly have time to write... my high school graduation is June 5 (yayyyyyyyyyyy), then starting June 21, I'll be away for two weeks... so if I don't update between my graduation and before I'm gone.... There won't be another update until early or mid July.