Disclaimer: I don't own Hikaru No Go ...

Hey everyone, I hope everyone didn't wait very long for this chapter. It may not be brilliant and I didn't have to check for mistakes. So please bare with me. Before the chapter start, wanna thank Blackest Star Catcher, Coiling Death, Kickkid3, Xiar, Kisa is dreaming, DarkPortAtreides and dgcl78 for reviewing. Also thanks to those who read this fic.

Previous chapter:

Besides that, there was something very familiar in between them, it was a box of her most memorial things that she had kept away, never wanted to look at it again. Akari shook slightly at the sight. Never her life thought that she would be looking at it at this day.

"Opps," Akane said rather nonchalantly.

Chapter 15

There was rather an awkward silence in the living room before Akane practically slice the ice with her easy going manner.

"Time to see if okasan need help with dinner!" Akane said casually getting up on her feet and dashed out the living room. "I'll leave you two love birds be!"

"NEECHAN!" Akari cried turning around after her sister who disappeared in a flash.

She still had her back on Touya when she felt his hands on her shoulders gently. She would have fled too but she knew since Touya had seen everything, she would have to tell him sooner or later. Taking a deep breath, she turned around slowly and smiled up at him.

"I better keep those away." She said indifferently and looked away.

But Touya couldn't have any of those anymore. He was so close in knowing what happened until she turned up and she will have to finish this. He gripped onto her shoulders tighter not letting her go.

"Fujisaki-san, what happened at the tryouts?" Touya's voice was soft, gentle and demanding the same time. "I what to know, I need to know…."

Akari still had her head turned to one side. She remained rather hesitant before she began her story rather softly.

"Before the tryouts I was practicing. I had an accident before I even gone for the tryouts."

"What happened?" Touya asked gently.

"It was supposed to some kind of cruel joke my challenger planned, which result to a horrible accident. She didn't mean me any harm of course but I got hurt while I practice on the day of my tryouts."

"What do you mean hurt?" Touya needed to know this in more detail.

"My skates was altered, the screws were loosened. I had no idea how. While I skated I fell when I tried a triple axle when the blades came off. It actually cut my leg by the loosen blade."

Akari paused momentarily turning her head slowly to look up at Touya her eyes glassy and rather expressionless. Touya remembered one of those girls he met at the rink mentioned about her leg. Now everything seemed to make sense.

"Remember those girls at the rink you saw? They were my teammates, they saw the person at my locker but they weren't sure. When they realized what happened it was already too late." Akari took a deep breath and continued. "They saw my leg bleeding and thought I hurt my leg bad but it wasn't my leg. I broke one of my ribs during the fall and landed on the sharpened blade when I fell, which rewarded me twenty stitches on my left ribcage. After that I can never skate again…."

Touya would have some difficulty in breathing after hearing that, quickly too a long deep breathe before he pulled her into a gentle embrace.

"I am so sorry I didn't know," Touya mumbled softly into her hair. "If only I could do something to help you…"

"It's alright Touya-kun…" Akari smiled softly, touched at how kind Touya was towards her. "I guess it's just not meant to be…."

There was a short silence before Akari pulled away from Touya gently.

"I want to be alone for a moment…" Akari whispered turning away and walked out the living room. "I'll be right back… sorry Touya-kun."

Not long after Akari left, her sister returned back again staring at her sister walking up the stairs before she turned back to Touya. Slowly she smiled at Touya's rather worried expression. She took his hand and pulled him towards the television.

"Come, let me show you something else… something that happened after that accident." Akane continued. "It is so like my younger sis not to be able to talk about this…"

Touya followed Akane and sank back down on the floor next to the box. Now that he was looking inside the box, he just realized that there was a leather biding book inside, the skating outfits she had worn and some a photo album. Not to mention her skating shoes were inside too.

"Whenever she was depressed, Akari would return to her grandma's house in Sapporo." Akane explained playing the video again. "I went with her, trying to her cheer her up but…. She was even more devastated when she was there; because it was the time she first skated there."

Touya turned towards the screen when he saw Akari came to view again.

Akari sat by the window, looking out the frosted and snowy surrounding outside the house. There wasn't a smile on her face nor was she crying but just staring vacantly outside at the pond.

"Akari, you need to go out!" Akane said cheerfully. "You can't just stay inside like this forever!"

"Leave me alone…" Akari voiced out, softly and blankly.

Akane sighed.

The scene changed again.

"Akari what the hell are you doing!" Akane shouted, this time she was in the screen with her.

Touya gathered that someone else was holding the camera or the camera may be on a tripod filming them.

"Go away neechan!" Akari shouted back. She was skating at the pond behind the back of her grandma's house. "I don't believe I can never skate again!"

"Your wound hadn't completely healed yet! You would injure yourself more!"

"I don't care!" Akari snapped and leapt in the air to do a triple loop but fell as soon as she land.

"Akari!" Akane ran towards her.

"Let me be!" Akari screamed getting up on her feet again, with a grimace like she in a lot of pain.

"Don't punish yourself like this!"

"I work so hard for it neechan!" Akari flared finally turning around. She was crying. Tears were falling down her face continuously. (Touya had never seen her crying like this before.) "Why have it got to be me!"

She turned away and skated again. Every time she tried a loop in the air she fell excruciatingly on the ice. Akane couldn't do anything but watched her miserably at the side of the pond. Until finally, Akari had fallen for the fifth time, she just lay on the ice, both arms wrapped around her lower rib area.

"Akari, what's wrong!" Akane cried running towards her.

"Neechan, it hurts every time I leap or spin!" Akari cried, her body on one side, curled into a ball.

"Come let me help you back inside." Akane said pulling her sister up to her feet and ignored Akari when she winced in pain. "Just bear with the pain until we get back inside."

Akari had her arm around her sister's shoulder as she guarded her indoors, tears continued to pour down Akari's cheeks. (Touya felt his heart ripped into pieces seeing her that way, this was the first time he witness her crying so much.) Akane walked over to the camera and switched it off.

"Akari didn't know I filmed this part and believe it or not, I got extremely good marks for my project." Akane smiled softly and rather miserably. "My college lecturer said that my sister is truly an amazing person… with a rather sad ending. He even wondered if we were actually acting…"

She laughed softly, taking the video out of the player. She turned to Touya to see him having an anguish look on his face as if he was about to hit someone or something. Touya felt like killing the person who had tampered her skates. Anyone who put Akari into such miserable state would regret the living day lights that they had caused Akari so much pain. He felt like tracking that person down and made sure she never ever skated again.

"The person who caused all this is suspended from skating for the rest of her life." Akane said as if she was reading his mind.

Touya relaxed visibly and Akane continued.

"She nearly burned all this," Akane looked down at the videotape putting it back into the box. "But I stopped her and gave her this box to keep her things away…."

Touya looked down at the box again. Gingerly, he picked up the leather bind book in his hands and flipped it opened. To his surprised there were newspaper cuttings in every page of the book. Most of them about Hikaru and his matches and to Touya's surprise, there were even some about him in GO matches he had played. Then in one of the last page, there were a small article of her winning the Regional Championship, a small picture of her holding the trophy high in the air grinning happily.

"I am sure she is in her room right now." Akane said. "I can always make her talk. Hikaru had his way to make her tell him things too… I guess Touya, you will have to find your way to talk to her."

Touya placed the book back into the box and stood up rather slowly, at that moment, he was rather in a daze with Akari's depressed expression locked in his mind.

"Her room is upstairs the very last one to your left." Akane said.

Without another word Touya left the living room and went up the steps slowly. It wasn't very huge upstairs and there were only three rooms. He spotted the very last door towards his left immediately and went to it. He knocked but there was no answer, slowly he tried the knob and found it unlocked, he turned it and pushed the door.

The door creaked opened and Touya looked in. Akari was on her bed, face down in a pillow. He was wondering if she was crying and slowly entered the room quietly. He was very sure Akari would have heard that creak the door made when he opened it.

"Fujisaki-san," Touya called softly going over to her, knelt down next to her bed and stroked her hair gently.

"It hurts every time I tried to figure skate again." Akari said in a muffled voice. "No matter how I try, I couldn't make the pain go away!"

Touya felt his heart gave way hearing Akari's tearful voice. Slowly and so gently he held the side of her arms and pulled her away from the pillow. Touya got up and sat on her bed wrapping his arms around her with Akari's back leaning on his front, her head rested around the side of his neck.

"Touya-kun, I'm so sorry…." Akari whispered. "I shouldn't make you worry! It is a very long time ago… and I actually forgotten all about it…"

"Fujisaki-san, I want to ask you something." Touya said softly his face buried at the side of Akari's head. "Why did you bring me ice skating if it brought you so many sad memories?"

"I don't know," Akari smiled remember that day, she and Touya skated side by side. "It was something I enjoy doing and feel happy about it. I thought I want to share that happiness with you, so maybe you could be happy on that day. Were you?"

"I still am," Touya smiled moving slightly away from Akari so that he could look at her.

Akari turned her head slightly and stared up at Touya slowly. Those green eyes that she always lost herself in them were looking at her with so much kindness and gentleness, Akari felt like reaching out towards it, to touch the warmth radiating out from those intense emerald green eyes.

Touya watched Akari inching closer to his face, their noses were touching.

She halts when their lips were barely grazing each other.

"I have something for you," Touya said softly, almost kissing her but managed to stop the urge to claim her lips in time, he was afraid that Akari may reject him later, if he move too quickly.

Besides he didn't want to push her too severely, like he had promise her to give her the time she needed. He will go according to her pace not his.

"What is it?" Akari pulled back slightly when she realized how close they were, slightly surprised at her own actions.

"A birthday present," Touya took out a velvety blue box and held it out to her. "Open it."

Akari took the box from and pushed opened the lid carefully. Her breath caught her in her throat when she saw what was inside the box. A beautiful white gold necklace and a snowflake designed white gold pendant with a diamond in the centre lay gracefully inside the velvet cushion.

"It's beautiful Touya-kun," Akari whispered staring at it.

"Let me put it on for you." Touya took the necklace out the box and Akari turned around for him to place it around her neck. Touya gently brushed her hair to one side and clasped it on. "There, let me see how it look on you."

Akari turned around smiling up at Touya when he watched her, his head slightly inclined.

"You look beautiful," He said softly.

"Thank you Touya-kun!" Akari grinned and flung her arms around him. "The necklace is beautiful!"

Touya encircled his arms around her waist smiling gently. Akari pulled back slightly and lean over to kiss him quickly on his lips without hesitation. It was only a short quick peck on his lips but it took Touya's breath away.

Touya was astounded at her movement.

Akari was stunned!

They stared at each other rather wide eyes and arms still round each other.

Akari's cheeks were flashing crimson at that one moment of boldness. At that time, she was so happy that she forgot to keep her cool.

Touya was rather speechless at her unexpected kiss. Even it was only a short peck on his lips, but Touya couldn't help feeling his heart lifting tremendously. At that moment he felt so lightheaded he would have just close the gap between his and her lips again without a second thought, if only…

"Hey you guys up there!" Akane shouted from the bottom of the steps, very suddenly and unpredictably. "What's taking you so long?"

Touya and Akari jumped slightly at Akane's voice, turning towards the door which was actually left opened when Touya came in. He never thought of closing the door and suddenly realizing anyone would have come upstairs seeing them embracing so intimately. Touya turned to Akari, who was still blushing furiously and they broke apart quickly.

"I guess we better go down," Akari giggled nervously, looking at Touya rather shyly. "Before oneechan comes upstairs and drag us down."

The rather bashful couple retreated from the room and down the stairs where Akane stood waiting for them. She was smiling up at them rather cheerfully with both hands behind her back.

"I am guessing everything is alright now." Akane said finally when Akari and Touya took their final step down the stairs.

"That doesn't mean I am not going to kill you neechan." Akari said in a dangerous voice.

"Aw, come on," Akane whined slightly. "Touya needs to know how extraordinary my sister is."

"What is so extraordinary about that?" Akari frowned slightly wonderingly what her sister had up her sleeve now.

"Well, I had made this for you," Akane said taking her hand out from the back and presented Akane with a cup of drink. "I made it myself… try it and tell me how it is… I was thinking of making it for dinner if you like it."

"Oh, you had finally learnt how to make cordials after all this years?" Akari said taking the cup from Akane who stood between Touya and her at the foot of the stairs.

"Of course," Akane smiled and turned back to Touya, her back on Akari. "Let my sister try first, if she says, its ok then you can have some."

Akari took a sip and bleached. A hand flew up to her mouth and she shut her eyes tight at the horrible taste of the drink, as she swallowed it with a large amount of difficulty. Touya raised his eyebrows at Akari's expression when Akane turned around to face her sister. Just as the expression came, it disappeared immediately, replacing it with a huge smile on Akari's face, her hand no longer covering her mouth.

"So how is it?" She asked rather excitedly.

"Interesting…" Akari nodded her head slightly. "…taste."

"Great I will get some for Touya…"

"NO…" Akari stopped her quickly. "Touya-kun is not thirsty…"

"Oh ok, well then we will wait till dinner." Akane smiled rushing back to the kitchen.

"Right," Akari watched her sister gone before she turned to a pot of plant near the stairs and empty the contents in it. "I think the plant will survive…."

"Is it that horrible?" Touya almost wanted to smile at the comical scene.

"You want to try?" Akari asked sweetly. "I can always go tell neechan. Over the years, she still hasn't improved on it…"

"I'll pass."

Akari couldn't help herself but laughed...

It was an eventful night for Akari, finally she was home in her solitude life. She had taken a long bath and changed into her night gown, her mind clear. Now she sat on her bed that was placed next to the window, looking out the neighbourhood below her.

She had both her legs bent in front her and both her arms stretched out, resting on top of her knees. In her hand she clutched onto a shinny object, as she stared out the dark surroundings outside. Her thoughts stray back to the time, when she gave Touya a kiss.

She couldn't imagine what possessed her to do so, but she was just so happy when she opened the present Touya gave her. A pendant that represents herself, her café and everything her life was. She had no idea Touya could understand her so deeply. She was simply so touch at his thoughtful gesture.

That moment of closeness between Touya and her had made her the happiest person on earth. It felt so right to be in his arms and even sharing a modest kiss like this. It was just so lovely that it frightened her. Now that her mind had cleared, she was practically terrified of this feeling! A feeling that she tried to shield away not wanting to get hurt again!

Turning away from the window slowly, Akari stared at her hands clutching onto the shinny crystal. Slowly, lifting both her arms away from her knees, she held the crystal snowman closer to her. She had always been afraid, she thought looking down at the shiny object. She was so afraid that she shut her heart away from everyone.

Try, Akari, try to accept others again…. Hikaru's voice echoed in her head.

Shutting her eyes tight she pulled the snowman closer to her heart. It hurts pretty bad to care for someone so much! This time her heart ache for someone and that person wasn't Hikaru at all! Every thought in her head was Touya Akira! No matter what she did, all her thoughts were on him, on that Professional GO Player that she never thought would have stolen her heart!

Slowly she opened her eyes again and looked down at the snowman in her hand. Akari's emotions were in havoc, realizing that Touya had not confessed to her, which confused her further. Maybe he was giving her time, like he told her before everything started.

But as soon as it started, everything happened so fast! Even she didn't want it that way. She found herself doing more and more for Touya. Surprising him, inviting him over to her parent's place on her birthday, kissing him and wanting to see him everyday.

Akari flopped down the bed loudly looking up the ceiling; the crystal snowman still clutched tightly in her both hands, now placed on her stomach. Is it, because she had become soft…? Closing her eyes slowly, trying not to think about it anymore but as soon as her eyes were shut, behind her closed eyelids, she saw Touya again.

With a frustrated cry she sat up quickly on her bed, one hand on her head, the other still clutching the snowman tightly. So gradually she gave a sigh and turned towards the window again, watching the darkness outside.

Stretching out her arm, her hand enclosed on the cloth hanging on the rail above the window, Akari drew the curtains across, shutting out the shadowy scenery outside. After that, she slowly lay down on the bed again and placed the snowman on the side table. She pulled her comforter up closer to her chin and closed her eyes.

She couldn't believe how much Touya had affected her life. It wasn't exactly in a bad way but Akari never expected their relationship to move so fast. She was only giving this friendship a chance and not knowingly it became more than that. Unconsciously, one of her hand reached out towards her neck and clasped itself on the snowflake pendant Touya had given her on that day.

A small smile grazes her lips, thinking that she had lost the battle and fallen for a certain professional GO player, hoping with all her might that it wouldn't end badly. She couldn't bear to be broken again…

"Touya-kun will never hurt me…" Akari whispered softly before she fell into a blissful sleep.

A small glimmer of hope in Akari's heart believed everything will be alright…

TBC

All right, things will start to get more interesting now! There will more Touya Akari fluffiness coming up... LOL. I really hope I didn't bore anyone in this chapter. I am afraid that it may not be what everyone expected but. I really really tried my best! I wanted Akari to be special in something. So that is how this chiche came up! Next chapter, Touya and Akari in a real date coming up!

Thank you for reading