A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! I hope you'll continue liking this story!

Enjoy reading!

My thanks to BlackWingedGabriel for betaing!

Chapter 1. Part III

The café-like room, where most of the leisure games and many of the Shidou-Go games took place, was still dimly lit. On many tables there stood a Goban with two bowls of stones resting on it. It was as if each wooden board was being the witness of the countless games played and now resting.

In the corner of the room Waya finally found what he was looking for. A Goban with a game on it. He strode over, dodging between the small tables and their comfortable chairs.

"I thought I'd find you here," he said to the lonesome figure sitting cross-legged on a cushioned bench for the table near the wall. It was a place chosen to survey the whole room and to see out of the large panorama doors that led to a huge terrace. During the daytime it showed a formidable view outside. Now there was only darkness and the cold flakes of a howling snowstorm. When the snow was blown near the doors weak light from inside made it sparkle.

"It's miserably cold in our room," he continued and dropped down in the padded chair across his roommate. He noticed that the other wore a plain dark-grey sweat suit over his pyjama.

With a deliberate movement that told Waya that Touya must have heard him come in, Touya looked up from recreating a game.

"I already told the manager that the radiator has broken down. She promised to immediately see to that."

"Yeah, I noticed, they, the workers, are still in our room. They tried to tell me something, but I didn't understand because their English was worse than mine." Waya yawned, "Well, it doesn't matter anyway, it's only twelve o'clock. In the seminary room there are still a couple of freaks playing."

Waya helped himself to one of the cups that stood piled on the table and poured in some coffee Akira had quietly offered. They weren't still very friendly with each other, but a shaky peace had settled between them in the few days since the Mashiba incident. Taking some sips of the cup and afterwards warming his fingers, still cold from being in his room, around it, Waya leaned a little nearer to the game Akira had been recreating. He still wasn't interested in anything Touya might ever do, but he couldn't resist looking at a game of Go. Trade disease, he guessed.

It seems familiar… he thought and scanned the game more intently.

Akira noticed his gaze and answered his unspoken question, a simple courtesy between Go-players who had nothing else in common. "Morishita 9-Dan is white against Ashiwara 5-Dan from my father's study group playing black in the second round of the third prelim of the Tengen tournament."

Waya studied the proportions of the not quite finished game. He actually knew the outcome, Sensei had proudly told them all in the study group of his victory against Ashiwara of Touya's rivalling study group.

"I play Morishita-sensei in the third round for the accession of the Tengen league next week," Touya added as an explanation as if he needed an excuse for studying the play of Waya's teacher.

"Sensei's becoming ambitious again," Waya murmured.

Akira placed several more stones. "It's an interesting game," he said, "I especially like the formation of this group over there," he indicated at the lower left corner, "Ashiwara's attack was beautiful and courageous, but white's defence was too powerful. Morishita-sensei even gained territory."

"Black's attack was lacking the strength to back up his strategy," Waya agreed, taking Touya's invitation. "If he had played here, for example…" he shifted several stones to the side in order to have access to the pattern with which the form had been begun. He put a black stone in a slightly altered position.

Akira answered and suddenly, without noticing, they launched into a game discussion where all of their animosity was pushed aside. They were Go pros, discussing a game, and everything else became insignificant for the moment.

Surprised, Akira found that Waya's understanding of the game was in some ways much deeper than Shindou's, which he wouldn't have expected from the rather weak game the other had played against him recently. It was as if Waya, like him, had somehow absorbed the fundamentals, the meaning of this game into his very being. Shindou loved the game with all his heart, but unlike Waya and Akira had learned to play very late and lacked the special bonding and knowledge only years of dedication could bring.

The night went on and they discussed several other of Waya's Sensei's kifu Touya had with him. And Waya realised that he could learn a lot from Touya, concerning his Sensei's Go. He even forgot that he, having been Morishita's student for years, should know a lot more about his Sensei's playing style than Touya, who had only studied him the last few days, and he forgot that this fact should piss him off, as it usually did. He forgot simply because he was being entirely carried off by his excitement at the knowledge in Touya's calm words. He realised that he suddenly began to discover layers upon layers of deeper meaning in the strategies he had become taught by Morishita for years. Was it because of Touya's cool eloquence that he understood him better than he had his impatient teacher?

"Hey Touya," Waya asked, despite the late hour wide awake, "want to play a game?"

It would be a good preparation for his game against Morishita-sensei if he played his student, Akira decided.

"Yes, of course." He cleared the kifu from the board, and put out several white stones to nigiri.

"Please."

"Please."

And Waya experienced again how it was to be completely crushed by Touya. As much as he tried hard to defy him, he was barely holding on. Somewhere in the middle of game, Touya suddenly interrupted.

"You'll never beat Ochi if you play hands like that!" His sharp tone made Waya bristle instantly. Maybe their peace had just been an illusion.

"As if you'd care!"

"Ochi will play here," Akira said, placing a stone, "and five hands later, you'll be cut off over there." He was too absorbed by the game to notice Waya's anger and newly arisen dislike. "Your moves are far too obvious to be of any use. If you can't think of anything better, you can give up right now."

I hate you, Touya! Waya thought, but his ire fired by Touya's accusations, instead of spending his energy on hating Akira, he concentrated all his fury on finding an escape from his bad situation. After many a minute of thought, he slammed a stone on the board.

"That would be better," Akira said so softly that Waya almost bristled again, just because, "against Ochi, it might work." He calmly placed a stone.

"I have nothing." Waya ground out, fuming.

Two games and subsequent discussions later, Waya was ready to admit that he was really and entirely helpless against Touya. He had ceased to be intimidated by Touya's reputation – because Touya surpassed it - and he had ceased to hate the other – because he had no time trying to survive in the game. Instead he concentrated on his anger - still very present after Touya's former words – and used it to concentrate his attacks on the board. He played better those next times, but he still had nothing.

The discussions afterwards were a shockingly frustrating experience for him, but nevertheless he sucked in Touya's words and explanations like a dehydrated man would thirst after a glass of water.

He buried his pride deeply for the moment being, because he would take every means to advance as a Go pro.

After the discussion his head felt like it was about to explode, full of Touya's strategies and thoughts. They were simple enough, one by one, but combined they consisted such a complex pattern with so many variations that he had forgotten half of them already.

"I'm exhausted," he groaned, leaning back in his chair, leaving it to Akira to sort the stones apart. "Let's do something else."

After a certain time of silence, Akira said:

"Everyone has to find his own style of Go. What is important is to stay true to yourself by all means and to keep your personality and your Go balanced in each other."

Waya perked up from his slouch.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously as his pride resurfaced.

Akira ignored his question.

"Some people achieve it by a complete concord of character and Go," he explained, "some people by playing a Go that's the exact opposite of their character."

Waya hesitated for a few seconds, trying to think.

"Are insulting me again!" and before Akira could start to answer, he interrupted him by standing up and saying,"Of course you are!"

He turned and stormed out of the room.

"I wasn't… I only…" Akira called after him, "Waya, wait!"

Dismayed Akira stared at the closed door through which Waya had left.

Waya was similar to Shindou, he would surely come back, wouldn't he?

"Hey Waya," Mashiba interrupted Waya early in the evening of their last day. "Do you want to lose another game against me? I even beat Ochi, your rival," –don't punch him! Waya reminded himself, not even for eavesdropping on you - "in our last Oteai game."

"That was because Ochi had a fever of thirty-nine degrees," Waya retorted angrily, "Let's play! I'm ready to beat you anytime."

Mashiba laughed dirtily, reminding everyone of Waya's recent defeat against him.

Halfway into the game and Waya knew he was playing absolutely dreadful. One look at Mashiba's gel-slimed hair and he wanted to tear it out one by one.

He played his next move and as soon as the stone landed on the board he perceived his mistake. I've been attacking when I should have been expanding my territory instead! Damn! I made so many mistakes already! I'm not trying to win hard enough!

He almost growled as he stared at Mashiba with flaming eyes, daring him to exploit his weakness.

If Touya saw that… Waya started to think and instinctively looked around to make sure Touya wasn't… -

He jumped when he saw that Touya was watching.

Waya guiltily ducked his head between his shoulders - all his heavy mistakes today had been things Touya had warned him to especially keep in mind - trying to seem as if he hadn't seen the very calm Touya looking at his miserable game.

Calm…

He breathed deeply several times.

If he kept burning with anger like that, he would lose.

He had to stay calm to win.

Keep calm…

Slowly the patterns on the bord changed from a writhing mass of black and white worms to two deadly snakes wound around each other. He knew his situation was dangerous, but suddenly the path seemed clear. If he didn't attack anymore, then he could…

Was that what Touya had meant? He pondered, I'm always trying to play aggressively, because Morishita-sensei taught me to. But if I with my rather heated personality… I rather had to play calm...

He cast a grim look at a Touya who contemplated only the game.

Now I understand what you were trying to tell me!

Morishita-sensei has an irascible personality and so it is logical his Go should be fiery. But Touya… you are so calm that you're almost shy, your Go instead, it's fearfully aggressive.

What if the opposite counted for him too?

The day of their departure, in the morning, Waya stumbled, half-sleeping, into the bathroom. He was feeling hang-overly, because yesterday night they had together celebrated their good-bye from Europe in due length.

Touya was in the small room, standing in front of the mirror. Waya had been so sleepy he hadn't even noticed his roommate getting up.

But Touya wasn't in best shape either, Waya thought with an evil grin, mollified.

It was a fine view, Touya Akira fighting with a comb against some persistent knots in his hair and trying to keep his hang-over headache at bay at the same time. His face was screwed up in a mask of intense annoyance. In his twisted lips and narrowed eyes Waya could see all the curses Akira didn't utter.

"You could get a decent hairstyle for a change," Waya advised him.

Akira fixed him with a grumpy gaze.

"And you could brush your hair once, for a change."

They stared at each other for some moments and became uneasy.

Then, suddenly they started to laugh - and Waya couldn't tell who had begun.

Finally in the plane, after a long and tedious journey to the airport, Waya was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. He only so managed to close his seatbelt with his eyes half closed.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Touya beside him, looking equally tired than him, if not more so, taking out one of his books filled with linguistic mysteries and starting to study.

"Just make sure you one day don't crack under all that workload, it's not healthy," Waya mumbled.

"I don't mind learning," Akira answered. "It won't be too much."

"If you say so…" Waya didn't sound convinced, but said nothing more.

The message on the cell phone in his pocket of Nase's next win was enough to ensure a happy sleep for him.

A/N: If you liked it, please review!