--------(6)----------

The Go board stood out in shining, broken rows of black and white. If Touya squinted, it looked merely abstract, like black-and-white pictures on old newsprint. On deeper scrutiny, though, he could see that the shape was unpleasing, full of sharp corners and breaks. He had abandoned the territory in the centre too quickly, a mistake he had not made for years.

"I have lost," Touya said, bowing. Not for the first time that day, he thought of his father.

Takeshi had been the first to offer his condolences.

For some reason, when he and his mother left the hospital room, he had expected to see Shindou. But it was Takeshi who stepped up, sympathy in his face. For the life of him Touya could not remember what to say. He remembered being conscious of his mother standing beside him, both of them aware that they were staring, yet somehow, they were physically incapable of making the proper reply to Takeshi's words.

It took him a moment to realize what his opponent, Akashi, had acknowledged his words, and they went on to the post-game discussion. On one side of the room, the game officials and various observers listened.

The same tight, waiting silence had nearly paralyzed Touya and his mother at the hospital, after Takeshi stepped aside. Reporters, friends, Go players, both professional and casual, had filled the lobby, all waiting for news. He had heard Shindou's voice to one side, exclaiming in his usual tactless way, "Ueyama-san, I though you had gone back already. You're still here?"

Shindou, it turned out, had gone with Ogata to help arrange for the use of the hospital's conference room, so that Touya and his mother could give the final pronouncement. Shindou had offered no condolences.

Everyone had tried to tell him that it was foolhardy to resume his game schedule so soon after the funeral, but Touya felt that it was a far better way to remember his father than an extended period of mourning. Now, he wondered what his father would think of the game he just played.

The post-game discussion finally ended, and Touya felt drained. He walked with Akashi to the side-room to retrieve their jackets.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Shindou was standing in his way.

He stared. "Shindou, you-"

Akashi, in the middle of pulling on his own jacket, turned back. "You shouldn't talk to Touya-sensei like that," he said. "I'm sure Touya-sensei needs his rest after a difficult game like that."

Touya had to give him points for being bold. Akashi had been the final challenger for his title for the last two years, and this was the first time he had been able to win a game between them by more than five-and-a-half moku. No wonder he was feeling triumphant.

At Akashi's words, though, Shindou narrowed his eyes.

Damn, Touya thought. He watched as Shindou stalked over to Akashi. "Akashi Yuki, right?" Shindou asked.

Akashi attempted to keep his composure. "Yes," he said.

"Do you know who I am?" Shindou asked.

Akashi nodded, his eyes darting from Shindou to Touya, and back again. "You're Shindou Hikaru, nine-dan," he said. At Shindou's continued silence, Akashi added, a sounding little reluctant, "Touya-sensei's friend."

"Wrong," Shindou snapped.

Akashi jumped at the menace in his tone, and tried to hide the reaction. Touya could see him trying not to meet Shindou's eyes.

Shindou went on. "I'm Touya's rival," he said. "I was Meijin before Touya was, and I'm going to be the one to take that title back. You don't even have a chance."

"But you... you're only in the third round of preliminaries..." Akashi faltered.

Shindou smiled with his teeth showing, like a shark. "And I will qualify by next year. Keep that in mind," he said.

Akashi's eyes flashed. "You won't scare me off that easily!" he said suddenly, looking from Shindou to Touya once more. "I've heard about you, Shindou-san. We're playing in the Honinbou League next month. I didn't think you'd resort to frightening off your opponents, but I was wrong..." He drew himself up to his full height, a full two inches taller than Shindou. "Good day, Touya-sensei." He pointedly ignored Shindou, before turning on his heels and leaving.

Touya waited till he was sure Akashi was out of earshot. "You weren't really trying to intimidate him, were you?"

"Did it work, do you think?" Shindou looked at the doorway, his voice absent. "You know him better."

Touya froze. "You mean you really... Shindou!"

Shindou turned back. "Please," he said. "I'm not a thug like Kuwabara was," he said. He looked innocently up at the ceiling. "But if it came out like that..."

Touya was not sure whether to believe him. "Shindou!" he said again, but Shindou had turned to him, his eyes serious.

"We need to talk," he said. Without another word, Shindou grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room, down the hallway, not stopping until they were inside the elevator.

"This is the third game for the Meijin title, Touya!" Shindou said, his voice echoing weirdly in the enclosed space. "You won the first game with Akashi, but I know it was a fluke-he shouldn't have tried to trick you with that corner hand. But you lost the second game. And now this one as well?"

Shindou's earlier irritation with Akashi faded in comparison to the fury in his voice now. Touya bristled. "It's none of your business, Shindou!" he said.

Shindou continued. "There are only five final games. Akashi has won two. If you lose the next one, you can kiss the Meijin title goodbye!"

Shindou's words cut right to the heart of Touya's fears. To hide it, he taunted, "And you think you know my Go as well as that?" The elevator stopped at the lobby, and they walked out.

"I'm your bloody rival, thanks," Shindou said, glancing at him. He controlled himself with visible effort. "Touya, you have to stop torturing yourself..."

"Shindou, I'll thank you not to assume that you know everything about me," Touya said coldly. He was tired of Shindou thinking that he knew him, and could fix his Go and solve his troubles, just by reading ahead and placing the right hands. He was not a Go problem for Shindou Hikaru.

Shindou's eyes widened in shock. "You..." he began.

Touya felt resentful suddenly. "Do you know how important my father was, to me? He's always been the one I wanted to be. I admired him. I respected him... And now that he's gone, I keep thinking of all the hands I could have played against him, all the things I could have said, and I can't help it! What right do you have to come and tell me not to miss him?" he demanded.

Shindou drew breath. "Because I know what it feels like..."

"Bullshit!" Touya shouted. "The last time someone important left you, you quit Go!"

The silence in the lobby was loud, after his outburst.

Shindou's face was pale. "Yes," he said. "I did."

--------to be continued----------