Disclaimer : I don't own Hikaru no Go.

Chapter 18 : Not fair! ( Hikaru's pov)

The following week, Early November 2000, on the way to the Japanese Go Study Center

Waya was walking to the Go center, he sighed heavily in worry when he thought of his best friend. I wonder how Isumi-san is doing…he played really badly last month. " The defeat to Shindou-san shocks him that much?"…He even lost to Fuku…and he's playing Ochi today…, " Com'on, Isumi-san, you can't win if you're still unbalanced like this!" Gritting his teeth in frustration, he said to himself.

He eventually arrived at the said building, he entered it and lazily took off his sneakers. He's already lost 4 times if he loses today…The funky boy didn't want to think any further. Yet, he knew, everybody knew, Isumi himself must know too that at this rate, his dream of becoming a pro nearly slipped away.

Arrrz! No! Stop worrying about the other! Mind your own business first! Waya! You are playing with the undefeated one today!

That was correct, Waya was playing against his crush today. He had a good chance of passing the exam since he had only lost twice but the blonde even had the better chance because she didn't lose a single game!

She's stronger than I thought. He thought in silence while he was heading to the game room. Oh, man. The red-headed insei let out another light sigh, it was weird that suddenly his crush became his greatest opponent. At first, he was extremely glad to hear that Kadowaki, a former 3-crown student titles holder, didn't enter the exam this year. One tough rival fell down, then what? Another one appeared, and it had to be his crush! Life is so unfair!

Still, everyone who sits on the opposite side of the Goban is my opponent. Although he liked the girl, he was still a Go player. He didn't mix business with pleasure, he definitely wouldn't go easy on her just because she was his crush.

" I'll play my best," Eyes shone with determination, he promised to himself, " And I'll win too!" then he went into the game room.

5 minutes later, the Go Center, in the dinning hall

" Waya-kun has already lost twice," Hikaru discussed with her private teacher, " If he loses to me today, his chance will be a bit shaky, especially if Isumi-san doesn't gain more loss,"

" It seems that his situation is looking unstable at this moment," Walking side by side, Sai pointed out shrewdly.

" Including this game, I have 2 more game to play, but I've already passed the exam," the girl in a light-orange 3/4 sleeved Tee-shirt with V neck stated, she was right. It was guaranteed that she and Ochi had already passed the Pro exam since they still held the clean record, " If I lose once, I'll come in 2nd. If I lose twice, I will share the 2nd position with Waya-kun," Telling the ghost about all possibilities, she clarified, " But for Waya-kun, it's different. If he loses these two remaining matches, he has to play against Isumi-san in the play-off," Everyone knew that until now Waya had never won the top student….never just once, he absolutely didn't want to play with his best friend. They all knew that he would do anything to make sure that he didn't have to face the black-haired boy in the play-off so he could pass the exam without any difficulty.

" Losing is not an option to him," the intelligent ghost with long sparkling purple hair said solemnly.

" He is good ," Hikaru accepted that, they studied at the same study group, of course, she knew how good he was, " But I don't intend to lose either," she declared decidedly, " And he thinks the same too, I know,"

" It will be a fight to the finish then," Narrowing his light blue eyes, Sai marked with a deep voice.

" Excuse-me," an unfamiliar man called her,breaking into their conversation.

" Yes?"

" Could you tell me where they order for lunch?" the old gentleman asked her.

" Oh, it's this way, sir," Hikaru led him the way to a small table near by.

Writing something on a piece of paper, the man in a suit told her, " Shinoda-Sensei takes a day-off today so I'm here as his substitute," he turned around as he finished writing, " So, are you an insei?"

" Yes, sir,"

" How is your record so far then?"

" I…haven't lost yet," the emerald-green-eyed girl in a dark wash denim skirt timidly said, she didn't want to be boastful.

" Really? Hahahaha, that's great!" He laughed good-naturedly, " You know what, the Go world is full with old geezers, everybody will be really happy if a cute little girl like you enters the Pro world,"

" Haha,"

" Yes! And we will face many strong players too! Isn't that great?" Sai shouted excitedly.

" Good luck then, little girl," the man wished her good luck.

" Thank you, sir," Hikaru bowed respectfully before she walked to the game room where her opponent had already been there waiting for her.

" Umm," After the blonde was out of his sight, Shinoda's friend whispered to himself, " I saw that golden bangs from somewhere," Scratching his chin thoughtfully, he tried to remember.

…….

" Yes!" he quickly ran after the girl as he suddenly remembered who she was, " Wait!" he cried.

" Eh?" Hikaru and Sai turned around. What did he want this time? They wondered.

" I just remember! I think I know who you are !" the old man spoke loudly.

" He knows me? Sai, do we know him?" the girl with a loose bun questioned her ghost.

" Umm, he looks familiar,"

" You…you are," the well-dressed man stuttered with excitement, " You are Touya-kun's girlfriend, aren't you?"

" What?" The duet exclaimed, Hikaru felt as if she was hit at the head by a big heavy hammer causing her almost to fall down.

" Amano-san showed me your picture! The real you are even cuter than the photo, " He roared with laughter, " Now, I don't wonder why you are so good! We can't expect anything less from Touya Akira's girlfriend, can we? Hahaha,"

" Err…."

" Good luck," then he hurriedly ran back to the dinning hall leaving the duet dumbfounded.

"………….."

"………….."

" Hikaru,"

Thunderstruck, Hikaru was lost for words. Without blinking, she just stood there, in the middle of the hallway, like an idiot. The first thing that came across her mind was " Picture? What picture?" then the second thought came….

" You are Touya-kun's girlfriend, aren't you? Now, I don't wonder why you are so good!"

" Since when I become his girlfriend?" She uttered irritably, " I'm the one who play the game but he gets all the credit? This is not fair!" she moaned.

A/N : Yes, he is the same pro whom they met in Children Go Festival. But he couldn't remember her either, since he thought she's a boy. This chapter is 1191 words-length.

Eadha Ohn: "Is a female Hikaru's good at cooking?" Haha, I really can't tell you now since I intend to write about it in the continuation ;)

kathy: "it is like you are giving us just a tiny sip and I get thirst for more!" Yes, I enjoy torturing you guys :)

Rebbi : " please make the chapters longer " Hai!

Mira-hime : " He may be even love her, but can't recognize that feeling!" He met her only twice after when they first met! Easy, girl!

Ady : "it seems you're following the anime where he lost that year" Yes, in the anime, after he lost to Hikaru, he lost to Fuku and other 2 unknown players, so he lost 4 games in a row.

Kinlin: "when Honda-san said confusing.." Ahh, actually I've alrady given some slight hints, but that's okay, I'll explain it too you. Actually, Honda wants to say that Hikaru-girl is so bloody tricky, and she confuses him. He doesn't even know what the hell she's doing, then Bang! When he realizes again, he has been already in her trap! Hikaru-boy always turns A bad move into a good one right? But Hikaru-girl plays several bad hands ( which one of these bad hand looks like a serious mistake) and turns them into a trap which is hard to escape from it. We can say that she set aPre-trap.I got this idea when I read Bleach. There'sa chapter about Kanju who keepsrunning away from the one who tries to kill him, that opponent calls him a coward, actually Kanju runs because he wants to set a large magical trap, kinda thing, when that opponent realizes again, he's in the center of it, then he loses.

xiar: " i only liked him in 1 only ONE fic that i read a while back" Hahaha, you know, if there's someone you should pray for, it should be me! I've a girl who like a creepy bronze-haired man in a white suit and an arrogant Korean boy! God save me!

Ookami-Fuu: Me? Evil?...Yeah:)

GiftFromBelow:"Kuwabara-sensei is funny" Well, he is funny, in a creepy way, I think.

Lilac-Blossom-Neko: Thank you :)