Disclaimer: I guessed it is just the same old thing. I do not own Hikaru No Go

I thought I wouldn't be able to make it for this chapter before my trip. Anyways, I managed it LOL. My flight will be tomorrow and i am suppose to go bed already because it is already 1am sweat drop... but before that I want to thank everyone who had reviewed...

Dark Koorime 708; My mistake, I've already made Touya old by supposely making Hatori call him uncle but made him extra older caused of my mistake LOL, and I read through the chp many times without noticing it at all. Thanks for pointing that out to me.

Kari 55; It does look like FB right? But actually that scene was a piece of my past when I was in school playing volleyball during PE. That happened to me in front of the whole class. You should see the amount of my friends and classmates laughing at me. I am nrv a volleyball player more of a basketball player. I play for the basketball school team. Thank you so much for your contants support.

InventxDream; thank you for reviewing. So sorry about the grammar mistakes. Hope you could bare with it until I find myself a beta reader.I've asked around but no one answered. Glad you like this story... hope u will enjoy this chapter too though I did update it in a rush.

Coiling Death; Thanks for reviewing, the volleyball thing was actually a little thing that happened to me when I was in school. But it did remind you of FB didn't it? I laughed so loud when I watched that episode... but sad, it reminded me how everyone laughed at me too. It was very embarassing. You think Touya and Yuki are alike? Actually I'm not very sure... when I inspected Touya before I wrote this story and I really like his small gentle smile in one of the later episode after Hikaru passed his Preminary Pro exam.He was talking to Ashiwara after he had played 4 games with 4 adults and draws 4 ties with all of them on purpose. I just cannot forget that smile... LOL. He is so intense and serious most of the time but he can be gentle and sweet too, that is how I got attracted to his attitude and thought he could take a relantionship very seriously...Anyways really thank you for reviewing... if there is any thing you want to ask me pls do put it down in the review or email me if u want to.

Back to the story...

Chapter 5

Akari walked alone in the crowded street carrying a pink umbrella and wrapped in a beige overcoat keeping herself warm. She was on her way to the supermarket to get some groceries for a dinner gathering Kuniko had planned. It was drizzling slightly and she was glad she had worn her boots that day as she walked on the wet pavement.

Two days ago….

"Let's do something this Sunday!"

Kuniko exclaimed over the phone after Akari had came home from work. She had the receiver clasped between her shoulder and ear, one hand holding a bowl of soumen and the other hand a pair of chopstick. Like usual she had not eaten dinner yet and Kuniko called immediately after she finished making her soumen not to mention she was awfully hungry too.

"What do you have in mind Kuniko-chan?" Akari asked and slurp her soumen leaning on the wall standing next phone placed on top of the television.

"It's getting cold outside and I was thinking of having 'steamboat' for dinner!" Kuniko said. "We can do it in your café and so we can invite more of our old friends to come!"

"Well I guess it will be alright I close the place early." Akari replied still continue eating her soumen. "You do the calling of friends, I will get the groceries."

"Deal!"

The supermarket was slightly crowded when Akari entered the place. She picked a basket and started off with the cold storage. She walked down the row of refrigerated items looking for everyone's favourite. Kuniko had made her a list and she was now reading through it.

She stopped at the meat section and looked through the variety. Her hand reached out the nicely cut pork slices when another hand came to take the same package. She looked up and blinked.

"Hikaru?"

"Akari?"

"Fujisaki-san?"

Hikaru stared wide eyed rather surprised at his old friend standing beside him. He was very confused too when Touya who had accompanied him to get some grocery called her. He looked back at Touya who stared at Akari slightly astounded though he could see that Touya was very pleased to see her.

"Touya-kun konichiwa," Akari smiled, she didn't notice him at first because he was hiding behind Hikaru slightly.

"Konichiwa Fujisaki-san," Touya replied politely.

Hikaru turned back to his old friend raising an eyebrow. Was he missing something between the two of them?

"Ano, getting groceries Hikaru?" Akari asked.

"Ah, Natsume is still in Nagoya and I have to cook for my squirt sometimes." Hikaru explained. "At the mean time he will be staying with my mum."

"I see, so did Kuniko-chan called you?" Akari asked. "About the gathering today."

"Yes, I got the call. I am going." Hikaru grinned. "It is good to see everyone again from school! Especially those in the Go Club."

"Touya-kun, why don't you come along? Since you are here," Akari smiled at him. He seemed rather quiet while she and Hikaru were talking.

"I don't think…." Touya started to say but Hikaru cut him off.

"Come on, since Akari had invited you just come along." Hikaru said waving his hand absently.

"That's right Touya-kun," Akari grinned. "The more people the merrier!"

"If you really want me to come," Touya smiled softly at Akari.

"Of course I want you to come!" Akari replied cheerfully not knowing her sentence had many meanings to it.

To Akari, it was out of courtesy but Hikaru took it another way.

Touya was slightly confused.

Hikaru smiled slyly at the both of them.

After they had gotten what they needed and paid for it and stood outside the entrance of the supermarket wondering what to do next. The drizzle had stopped so they didn't need their umbrella anymore kept folded in their bags.

"Since I have to go back," Hikaru said. "I will drop by your café later."

"Ok," Akari shrugged carrying a few bags of heavy groceries. The weight was nothing much to her since she had gone out getting groceries by herself most of the time.

"And since Touya is going to the gathering." Hikaru continued. "He might as well helped you with the bags and follow you there first."

"But I thought you needed me to…." Touya began and again was cut short by Hikaru.

"Ah forget it!" He said and walked off. "I'll see you both later."

"He needed you for something?" Akari asked when Hikaru walked off.

"I guess it is nothing important." Touya replied turning back to Akari after watching Hikaru walking away. "Let me help you with those."

"I can't…" Akari protested but Touya had already taken a few bags from her into his hands freeing one of her hands from grocery bags.

"I couldn't be walking next to a lady and not help her with her groceries could I?" Touya smiled in his usual gentle way. He held all the groceries in one hand. "It will be so impolite."

"You are always so polite Touya-kun," Akari chuckled softly shaking her head softly.

"I was taught since I was young to be that way." Touya said softly.

"I see, I am a real tomboy when I am young," Akari grinned at her own childhood memory. "I climb trees with Hikaru and I fell into the pond and ruin pretty dress mum gotten for me."

There was a pause as Akari looked up the sky.

"Let's see what else were there that I did?"

Touya was watching Akari with his mouth slightly ajar. Slowly Akari turned to him and laughed quietly at his reaction.

"Well, I was only trying to impress Hikaru back then." Akari explained. "I did make it up the tree but I couldn't make it down again."

"What happened?" Touya asked astounded imagining Akari being stuck up the tree.

"Hikaru told me to jump and he will catch me."

"So you jump…."

"Hai, but Hikaru missed and I ended up breaking my leg." Akari laughed slightly.

Touya's eyes widened; she can still laugh at that memory?

"I was actually happy when I gotten a new dress from okasan." Akari said. "I went over to Hikaru to show him and we went to the park…."

"He pushed you into the pond?" Touya asked guessing the worst.

"Iie, not exactly," Akari smiled softly. "My hair ribbon dropped into the pond I was trying to retrieve because Hikaru didn't want to help. It drifted to the middle of the pond where it was hard to reach so I fell in. Silly of me isn't it?"

Touya could only stare at her calm and cheerful expression.

"He didn't treat you very well did he?"

"Iie, he is very nice actually though sometimes slightly mischievous." Akari explained. "Well 'slightly' doesn't really define it. I think 'very' should be more like it."

"How can you still be so happy about it?" Touya asked in a soft whispery voice. He had stopped walking abruptly.

"Eh?" Akari turned to Touya her smiled disappeared from her face when she saw Touya looking rather infuriated and stopped next to him. "Touya-kun?"

"I can never talk about her that way…." Touya said softly his head slightly bowed.

Her? Akari wondered. Who's her?

"She really brought a lot of pain and I just wish I could forget about everything!" Touya exclaimed wrathfully, surprising Akari who had never heard Touya speaking of someone so furiously before.

Touya felt a timid hand touching his tenderly and his head snapped up and turned over to Akari who was looking at him sadly and worriedly. Akari was holding his hand in hers to get his attention. She smiled softly when Touya turned to look at her. She didn't like seeing Touya in that state. She wished she could bring back that tender smile she always sees.

"At first I wanted to forget everything too." Akari said softly her head inclined looking up at Touya's infuriated look. "I wondered if I forget will the pain go away. I thought about it again, why do I want to forget? The pain will always be there even if it's forgotten because you are only running away from it."

Touya relaxed slightly feeling Akari calm aura around him.

"I realized then I do not want to forget." Akari continued. "Even if they are sad memories, even if they are memories that only hurt me, even if they are memories that are rather forgotten. If I keep them and keep trying without running away, I believe one day I'll be strong enough that those memories cannot defeat me. If I keep trying… and if you keep trying…, I believe…. I really believe Touya-kun… one day those painful memory won't hurt you anymore."

Tears blurred Akari's eyes slightly and she quickly turned away letting go of Touya's hand. Touya stood slightly motionless staring at Akari's back for a short while before he raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder gently.

It was so embarrassing to Akari that her tears emerged unexpectedly but she couldn't bare to see Touya looking so depressed. She really wanted to see him smile at her like he always did. She felt Touya's gentle grasped on her shoulder and quickly dried her tears before she turned back to him in her usual jovial self. Akari understands that she shouldn't look depressed. It will only make Touya more upset.

Touya was reading her carefully but her cheerfulness seemed genuine and not a sign of sadness.

"Gomen got carried away back there!" Akari exclaimed lightly. "Come on everyone is waiting for the food!"

Akari grabbed his hand in hers and pulled him along the pavement. Touya didn't mind a single bit being drag by her along the road with her holding his hand. After hearing her thoughts and point of view, he was glad that his anger was no longer with him. She only let him go when they reached Eternal Snow. One of her friends burst out the café before they could even stepped inside.

"What took you so long, the soups are ready and everyone is waiting!" Kuniko cried grabbing all the bags from Akari and Touya. "Ah, you must be Touya-kun! I saw you at the beach the other day!"

"Hai," Touya replied. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure is all mine! I am Tsuda Kuniko by the way." Kuniko cried exultantly before going back into the café.

"Well, come on Touya-kun." Akari turned to him grinning. "I am sure you are hungry."

She ran in towards her friends. Touya stepped into the café slowly, his usual smile appearing on his face as he stood by the door not wanting to go near the crowd. He watched her chattering with her friends and helping them opened up packages of raw food on the joined tables in the middle of the café, three huge electric pots on tables with soup boiling inside.

Fujisaki Akari will be someone he will never want to forget and that is a promise.

Akari turned back to see Touya smiling gently at her still standing by the door and she was glad that she was able to bring that smile back. She ran back to him and pulled him over to join the crowd.

Even if I couldn't do much for Touya-kun… Akari thought as she prepared some food for Touya. Even if he wants to forget whatever that is hurting him, I am glad he is smiling again. As long as I could keep him smiling, I have to be strong even it is sometimes really hard to be strong all the time… but I am glad I can at least do something for him.

Later towards that night when everyone was gathered together in different groups catching up with new and old news, Akari walked over to Hikaru who was talking to Kaga. Touya was bombard by Kuniko and Kaneko asking him all kinds of questions about his profession.

"Ano, Hikaru…."

Kaga and Hikaru turned to her in surprised.

"Well, I'll leave you both to catch up with some things." Kaga said with a smile and walked off to Yuuki and Tsutsui.

"We hadn't chat for a long time Akari," Hikaru smiled at his old friend. "Looks like you are doing well with your own business and everything."

"Hai," Akari grinned. "I just read the GO Weekly that you won the match with the Ouza last week."

"It was a pretty close match." Hikaru replied slightly flustered. "But Touya said that I won because of luck."

Akari giggled. "You still quarrel with him often?"

"His is a snobbish, arrogant /beeb/…." Hikaru snorted under his nose. "He couldn't stop telling me that my playing method is soft and stuff like that."

"Ano Hikaru," Akari looked the floor as she spoke softly. "Did something bad happen to Touya-kun recently?"

"Eh?"

"I mean…. I mean…." Akari looked up anxiously. "Well, he didn't seem very happy and I thought… I thought…."

Hikaru smiled sadly.

"Hikaru…?" Akari looked at the sad expression as Hikaru looked at her.

"The previous December Touya's fiancée left him for another guy."

Akari stared at Hikaru astounded.

"He found her in another person's arms. It was his birthday that day…" Hikaru explained. "I was there with him when that happened. The shock of seeing the person he cared for with someone else must have hurt him real bad. They planed to get married this year…but I guess it didn't turn out to be a good thing…"

Akari was speechless. She turned slowly to look at Touya who was still talking with her friends. No wonder he wanted to forget. It must have hurt real terribly.

"Hey Shindo-kun come here for a second." Kuniko called from the other side as she stood next to Touya and Kaneko.

"Eh, what is it?" Hikaru asked walking over to them.

Akari still stared at the floor numbly. Hikaru's words still echoing in her head.

"His fiancée left him for another guy…. They planed to get married…."

That's horrible… Akari placed the back of the hand on her lips thinking when Yuuki walked up to her.

"Akari are you alright?"

Akari remained silent with a thoughtful look on her face.

"AKARI!" Yuuki yelled.

"Ah?" Akari jumped and looked around the café, everyone was looking at them. She blushed and grinned uncomfortable then turned to Yuuki slightly disconcerted. "What? You don't have to shout!" She hissed at him.

"Well, I called you and you look like you are upon the stars." Yuuki said. "So what did Shindo want with you? What did you both talked about?"

"Eh?" Akari's eyes widened anxiously. "We…."

She turned over to Touya who was staring at her wonderingly. She quickly turned away for being caught looking at him and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Nothing…." Akari said softly heading for the kitchen. "We didn't talk about anything."

"Oi, Akari…." Yuuki called following her. "You look like you have something in your head! Please tell me what is bothering you. I can help you!"

Akari wasn't listening, she still couldn't forget what Hikaru told her. She need sometime to think…

It was raining again when Touya went over to his Go salon to meet Hikaru. He was slightly early that day but he didn't mind. Ichikawa told him that there was someone there asking for his guidance in GO. He reached the building, took the lift, reached the floor of his salon and walked over to the automatic doors. It slid opened when he reached it. Ichikawa who was at the counter turned to him with a smile when he entered.

"Konichiwa Akira-kun," Ichikawa greeted. "Looks like it's getting colder everyday."

"Yea," Touya smiled at her placing his umbrella on an umbrella stand by the door.

"By the way, someone came by and drop this for you." Ichikawa said taking out a white box from under the counter. "I told her to wait for you to arrive since you are on your way but she said she had to go back to work."

"Her?" Touya asked slightly startled wondering who would come to see him here.

"Yeah, she has pretty long auburn chestnut hair." Ichikawa said passing him the box. "She looked quite wet when she got here. It looked like she didn't have an umbrella. I told her to wait but I guess she is in a hurry to get back to work."

"Auburn chestnut hair?" Touya repeated, one person he knew came into his mind. "Fujisaki-san?"

"She didn't say her name." Ichikawa said happily. "Someone you know? Is she your fan?"

"Iie, she is a friend." Touya smiled taking the box and went to take a seat where he always had his games with Hikaru.

Touya opened the lid of the box wonderingly. What would Akari give him? Why did she get him a gift for no reason at all. When he saw what was in the box he started chuckling to himself. Ichikawa who heard his soft laughter lean over to the counter to see what was wrong and saw Touya looking inside the box laughing softly.

"What is it that is so funny in that box?" Ichikawa wondered before she went back to her own work.

Touya read the little note Akari had put inside.

Touya-kun,

I know I couldn't do anything to make you forget but at least I can make you laugh. Buffoon had brightened my gloomy days many times and I hope he can do the same for you. I want you to keep it.

Fujisaki Akari.

Reaching into the box Touya took out the little toy dog that Akari had won in the summer festival. It was the first time anyone had given him such a gift. Usually people tend to buy him books or other expensive materials. However he found this gift from Akari was far more precious than any gifts he had received his entire life.

TBC

There, I had wrote about Touya's past and why he is so upset over it... Yuii is actually his fiancee well ex fiancee now. I know there is not much Akari Touya in this chappie but there will be the next... They can't posibbly be so cozy with one another in front of the whole gathering so there is not much of them talking together... Okies I really need to go sleep now. I will update again when I get back...I promise.