Disclaimer: I don't own Hikago

A/N: Many thanks to all my reviewers. Your words really keep me motivated! I hope you'll like this chapter as well!

Many thanks to BlackWingedGabriel for betaing this chapter again.

Enjoy reading!

Chapter 2. Part I

"You're playing strange today." Hikaru surveyed the game after Touya's hand for some time.

"Ah? How so?" Touya's gaze never left the board.

"As if you didn't know what you wanted."

Touya looked up at Hikaru's puzzled voice, his usually smooth brow slightly furrowed.

"I don't think so. Of course I want to win."

A few pearls of sweat were visible on his forehead, because not even the air-conditioner of the Go salon was able to fight against the August heat.

Before Hikaru could say any more, "The young sensei made it to the Honinbo league last week!" Kitajima-san, Touya's greatest fan, cut in acidly, "Stop bothering him with your inapt comments!"

"Bah!" Hikaru retorted with a neglecting gesture of hand, "My last game for the accession of the Honinbo league is tomorrow. I won't fail. And then I'll play Touya there and win!"

Hikaru went off into another heated fight with Kitajima, finally causing a today especially pretty Ichikawa to interfere. Due to the heat, she wore exceptionally sparse clothes, not significantly more than her apron. The quarrel of the two men ended surprisingly quick and she considered wearing that skirt more often, for the sake of her ears and those of the other customers.

Only Akira didn't really notice, because he kept looking at the board, seemingly considering only the game.

Waya was about to pack all his dirty clothes into a basket to take them down to the laundry - he had finally decided to do it himself – when the doorbell rang.

He placed the basket back down on the floor and went to answer the door, wondering who it could be.

He was truly surprised when he saw Touya standing in the door. He had grown lately that he had become a bit taller than himself, Waya noticed with a slight hint of irritation. Plus, his now slightly longer hair, now even long enough that he could bind it together in his neck, so only a few strands escaped that framed his face, made him look strange for a pro, but definitely more manly than before.

"Hi, Touya," Waya greeted, "What do you want?"

Touya looked at him for a moment, too stunned to speak.

Waya frowned. "Study group's only in two hours."

"Oh." Touya managed to utter. Waya withdrew his opinion that Touya looked manly. In his shocked confusion he was rather childlike. His embarrassment added to this impression as he checked his watch and noticed what Waya said was true.

"I…I'm sorry, Waya," he stammered, and Waya almost felt pity at his confused state, "I'll go and come back later…"

He turned to go and to hide his rose-tinted cheeks.

"Oi, Touya," Waya halted him in his movement. Touya unsurely looked back at him. Waya sighed, "You can stay here until study group. Just make yourself comfortable and stay out of my way."

…

When Waya returned he found Touya sleeping, leaning against a wall, an exhausted, almost sorrowful expression on his face. Waya put his basket with washed and dried clothes on the floor and went over to check on the book that rested on his knees. It was one of his language textbooks again. Waya shook his head. He'd never understand why Touya would work until he slept in.

Waya decided to wake him only later, before the study group began, since Touya seemed to need the sleep.

…

Isumi arrived first to the study group. Waya opened the door for him.

"Hi, Isumi-san," he greeted and let him enter. Over his shoulder, he called, "Sorry Touya, I forgot to wake you." Waya's wasn't even bothering to hide his glee at Touya's situation. It probably wasn't accidentally he had forgotten to wake Touya.

"Touya came here too early," Waya explained, when Isumi's gaze wandered to the younger man, embarrassedly trying to blink the sleep away from his eyes, "and he slept in."

Isumi smiled and greeted Touya, who had visible problems waking up, but managed to greet back politely.

Soon they sat together around Waya's Goban and waited for the others to arrive. Saeki-san, the ash blond five Dan appeared next, in a inexplicable good mood, until Isumi noticed remains of lipstick on Saeki's lips and pointed it out to him, much to the exhilaration of Waya and himself. Touya only smiled politely, seemingly lost in his thoughts, maybe being still sleepy. The pair of Honda, the Freckled, and Ochi, the Four-Eyed Mushroom, as Isumi inwardly called them, came in next, both very silent and obviously not in happy mood. Isumi didn't wonder about their dampened spirits, since Waya had recently beat Ochi in a narrow, heated game, which threw Ochi out of the third prelims of the Tengen league. Isumi himself had beaten Honda on Wednesday in order to make his three Dan.

Shindou arrived finally, much too late, but at least breathing heavily and sweating from running.

"Congratulations for you both reaching the Honinbo league," Isumi felicitated Touya and Shindou.

"Thank you, Isumi-san," Touya politely answered.

"We're expecting one of you to reach the title," Waya added with a cheerful grin.

"That's why we're competing," Shindou answered cheekily.

Saeki laughed. "Morishita-sensei will surely insist that you beat Touya." The running joke of the 'rivalry' between the study groups had not been hid from Touya, who had accepted it with an amused smile.

"I surely will beat Touya!" Shindou said. Isumi certainly wished he had his confidence.

Touya showed his own confidence by ignoring Shindou. The rival was left quietly fuming in Touya's back when he addressed Waya with a serious expression.

"I expect you to have beaten Chao Shi when you return from China."

Isumi and Waya would leave next week for a two-month visit to Beijing. They had accepted the invitation of Isumi's friends at the Hokuto-Cup in late spring.

Waya seemed positively stunned by Touya's intensity.

"But…" Waya was unsettled, "Chao Shi played second board in this year's Hokuto-Cup!"

"So?" Touya asked and Isumi saw that his eyes were burning, but Waya didn't quite meet his glance.

Isumi heard an indignant huff from the side and quickly glanced over to Ochi, who had his eyes narrowed. He noticed Waya's gaze flickering in the same direction. When his gaze returned from Ochi, Waya's expression had changed to more determined.

"Chao Shi made huge progress in the last year," Touya agreed. Isumi had beaten Chao Shi when he had been to China two years ago, but his game at the Hokuto-Cup against Shindou had stricken fear in him. The sweet-looking boy had grown sharp teeth.

Waya appeared to be rather nervous, looking straight at the demanding Touya, but suddenly, from one breath to the other, it was as if a spark leapt from the Touya's dark, almost black eyes to Waya's brown ones, and Waya's whole stance completely changed. Isumi thought that something in his friend had caught the fire in Touya's look, he seemed to grow from inside, his gaze, and his whole facial expression became fiercer, his hands baled into energetic fists. A grim smile played around his mouth.

"Right! I'll beat him!"

Isumi, caught off guard by the raw emotion in Waya's voice, was immediately drawn into the feeling. Filled with a nervous anticipation, he almost felt the air crackling with the energy of the determined fighting spirit Touya, and now Waya too, emanated. He barely could suppress a chill and felt his eyes shining.

"My aim will be Yang-Hai-san!"

Touya's gaze focused on him.

"Hai," he confirmed Isumi's goal, "Yes."

The tense atmosphere dissolved as Shindou started to laugh.

"Stop that, Touya!" he chuckled, "You're freaking these guys out."

Touya cast him a frowning look. "You're just jealous when not everyone is focused on you."

While Shindou and Touya went off quarrelling, Isumi looked around, cherishing the positive feeling left from their few exchanged words.

Saeki bore a look of odd fascination.

Ochi quickly hid his expression of hateful jealousy, and passed an ambiguous glance with a frowning Honda-san, before he said, in his sour voice, "Can we play now? I don't have time all day."

"A good idea," Touya agreed, taking a break from insulting Shindou. "I have to go early today as well." Isumi wondered if Touya knew that the Mushroom thought even this comment disrespectful of him.

Akira accepted his defeat in the first game of the Honinbo league with a bow before Seiji Ogata, Judan, Gosei and Meijin (and still not Honinbo). He felt thoroughly depleted and managed to keep his mind in the spirit of the game, until the reporters and spectators finally decided they had enough.

And again he had lost to Ogata. He half expected a snide comment of Ogata, like in their last game, in the Honinbo-league, too. It didn't come though. Probably this time Ogata thought having proven his greatness enough by winning and didn't need his vanity supported by mean comments.

He went to the toilet before he left the institute, but found himself suddenly cornered there by his light- haired opponent.

"That game was certainly not up to your standards, Akira-kun." Ogata gave him a reproachful look through his big eyeglasses. Akira knew the effect would have been better if he had taken them off, but Ogata was rather short-sighted and felt helpless without his glasses. Maybe I should advise him to get new ones, when he all he wants is to look impressive.

"I'm sorry," Akira answered, looking away. He wasn't really happy with this game either.

There must have been something in his voice, he thought, because Ogata turned him around by the shoulder until he fully faced him. Akira suddenly noticed that he had grown almost as tall as Ogata by now.

Ogata's voice was a soft and considerate purr, "You won't last in the league with that Go."

Akira suddenly felt deeply uncomfortable.

"My next game is against Shindou. I'll beat him." He said, just for the sake of getting that worried frown off Ogata's face.

Ogata drew a bit back from him and his lips stretched into a wry half-smile.

"He has always been a miracle for your fighting spirit."

"But it doesn't matter anyway," Ogata added as an afterthought, his eyes narrowed dangerously at a non-present Kuwabara Honinbo, "It's me who'll win that title."

With a confused frown Akira looked at him. Is he trying to comfort me, or to demoralise me further?

Maybe he can only be nice to me, when he's sure he beats me. Ogata hadn't changed to the better.

The next days Akira tried to banish all thoughts from his mind except one. I can't lose against Shindou.

The atmosphere of the Touya's Go salon was bubbling with anger and Ichikawa leaned at the counter, observing the two wranglers responsible for it. She earnestly considered getting some ear-plug; maybe she could even sell them to the other customers and add that to her salary. She sighed as she watched the two boys, no, the young men. Both had played three games in the Honinbo league, and they hadn't done as well as they had expected or wished for.

"What kind of game is this! Not even in the Shin-Shodan series you lost that badly against Zama-sensei!"

"And who lost his third game, against Ogata-san, by a severe defeat!"

"He pulled a mean hand on me. I misread it! At least I won my first game!"

"But you lost against me!"

"Yeah, but that's the only real game you've played in this Honinbo league so far!"

"Shindou!" Kitajima cut in, "Stop insulting the young sensei or I'll personally kick you out!"

Hikaru started to lash back, but Akira interrupted them both in a low voice.

"Kitajima-san, please stop."

Surprised the older man looked away, mumbling something to his friend Hirose-san.

Stunned, Hikaru looked at Akira.

"Shindou," Akira said with an air of forced calmness on him, "I think it's not necessary to discuss our games today."

Considering how badly their conversation had already started, Hikaru could only agree.

"Damn, Touya, what the hell are you doing!"

Hikaru heavily fell against the back of his seat, trying to glare at their game and at Touya at the same time.

Touya huffed. "What do you have to shout in the middle of a game?"

Hikaru stared at him. "You call that a game? That's a disaster!"

Touya had lost in the league against Kurata Tengen now, and his last Oteai game as well.

"So you think I should give up?"

Hikaru stared at him. "Ten hands ago. That game was disgraceful on your part."

Touya's eyes narrowed at him and his hands, lying on the table, tightened into fists.

"Will you please stop insulting me?" His voice was calm and icy, instead of his usual fiery retort. Hikaru should have started thinking by then, but he didn't.

"I won't. Unless you immediately start to play at least a hundred times better."

"Well then," Touya stood up, his dark eyes stormy, but his voice cold, "Get yourself someone else to take out your moroseness on. I certainly don't have the time for that."

Hikaru was for a moment too stunned to speak.

In the meantime Touya pushed his seat back and went to the counter, before Hikaru had even caught himself so far as to follow him with his gaze.

"Ichikawa-san," Touya said, his stance almost vibrating of suppressed anger, and as she didn't react immediately, "My bag please."

With dismayed wide eyes she mutely handed it to him.

When Hikaru finally caught himself and called out, "Touya!" he had already closed the door behind him, and only Kitajima's angry growl answered him.

When even he had stopped running out of the Go salon, it absolutely wasn't like Touya to now start with that habit! Hikaru still was too much in shock to be worried.

The ringing of the telephone called through the voices discussing games in the game room of the Chinese Go institute. A curly-haired, young Chinese pro went over and picked up the receiver. He looked confused for some time. Suddenly his face lit up and he called out.

"Waya…telephone for you!"

Waya perked up from the game he was playing with a Chinese pro. He excused himself with a slight bow and went to the telephone, closely followed by Isumi who was as eager for news from home as he was.

"Hello?"

"Waya?"

"Yeah, that's my name."

"Touya's has gone crazy. Help me!"

"Huh?" Waya instinctively took a step back as if he could thereby escape the urgent demand. "Is that you, Shindou?"

"Of course! Help me!"

Isumi gave Waya a puzzled look. Shindou talked so loudly that he had heard him. Waya shrugged.

"What happened?"

Hikaru told him about Touya's strange behaviour.

"What's your problem?" Waya asked tiredly. "You're acting that strange all the time."

"Waya!" Even Isumi smiled at Shindou's indignant outburst.

"Listen, Shindou, he's maybe just stressed."

"Stressed? Why would he?"

"Why not?" Waya's brow furrowed.

"Well…" Shindou hesitated, "He's never stressed. He's Touya."

Waya exchanged a disbelieving look with Isumi.

"Shindou, are you stupid?"

A/N: I hope you liked that chapter. :-) Reviews are always much appreciated.
I probably will post soon some kind of extra chapter from chapter one, where Waya and Touya celebrate their last evening in Europe and drink a bit, and talk. (that's where Touya came to know about Nase, e.g.) With a bit of help from one drink or the other, even Akira manages to open up a bit. :-) Just in case someone's interested.