Future
Chapter 10 - Inner Turmoil
/Damn it/ Akira cursed silently as he watched Hikaru flee. The anger drained from his body, leaving him numb and weak. Akira leaned his back against the closed front door and slid down to the floor, where he curled into a tight ball.
The sun had long since set by the time he gathered the will to drag himself to his feet.
The next few days passed in a blur, and Akira returned to life as usual. At least, he tried. Without getting the chance to talk to Hikaru, really talk, everything felt different. Sure, they'd exchange polite greetings when they saw each other at the go institute, but that was it.
They played no private games because Hikaru had stopped coming to his father's go parlour. When the regular customers pestered Akira about his whereabouts, he lied that Hikaru was busy with his official games. He couldn't admit that Hikaru was avoiding him at all costs, that even if they did meet up, it was only in a crowd.
Akira did his best to seem indifferent to Hikaru's behavior, but it was killing him slowly in the inside. His fists clenched each time Hikaru walked past him without a word, and his heart clenched each time Hikaru looked away if their eyes happened to meet.
Apparently, this sudden change in their relationship had not gone unnoticed. That afternoon, when he had finished his scheduled game, Akira found himself face to face with Isumi Shinichirou, a good friend of Hikaru's. Akira kept his expression blank and waited for the other boy to make the first move.
"Do you have a second?" Isumi asked.
Akira nodded politely and followed Isumi down to the ground floor, where there was a room set aside for the general public. Once they were settled at a table, Akira reached for a bowl and offered to nigiri. Isumi hesitated, watching Akira with solemn eyes.
"I didn't bring you here for a game," he said at last.
Akira sighed and folded his hands in his lap.
"I suspected as much," he said. "It's not like you to ask me for a game out of nowhere like that. That's something only Hikaru would have done."
Even so, they started a game out of sheer habit, and for the first time, Akira placed more importance on the coversation than on his play. He usually put all of his concentration into the game at hand, whether he was playing in a tournament or just for fun. This time he played thoughtlessly, without caring about controlling the flow of the stones. His father would have been shocked at the sight.
"Did anything happen between you and Shindou?" Isumi asked.
Akira mulled over his answer and sighed. "Maybe something did happen, but even I'm not really sure what," he said. "Maybe we just need some time to clear our minds."
Isumi watched him thoughtfully without saying anything, and Akira squirmed in his seat. It had sounded like an excuse, he knew, but it was true that he had no idea how things stood between him and Hikaru at that point. The awkward silenced thickened, and the game lay forgotten between them. Just when Akira's nerves had frayed to the breaking point, Isumi pushed his chair back and stood. He merely smiled reassuringly when Akira looked up at him in confusion.
"Don't worry," Isumi said. "Just give him some time. I'm sure he'll come around eventually."
Akira knew exactly who "he" meant. What he didn't know was whether he should be nervous or not. Just how much did Isumi know? And were Akira's troubles so clear to everyone else as well? Either way, Akira finally understood what Hikaru had meant when he called Isumi "too perceptive for his own good."
Isumi walked across the room to join up with Waya, who had been waiting rather impatiently just outside the room. Judging from the look on Waya's face, it was only thanks to Isumi's interference that Waya didn't stalk over and share a few of his own thoughts with Akira. Waya had hated him to begin with, and problems with Hikaru would only fuel that fire.
With a rueful shake of his head, Akira cleared up the unfinished game and searched Isumi's words for some hidden meaning. Most likely, he had meant that there was nothing Akira could do except wait for Hikaru. He dropped the last stone into its bowl, replaced the lid, and left for home.
Author's Note: About the part on Isumi leaving without helping Akira to clear the board, it will be further explained in the next chapter. I'm aware that Isumi isn't one to simply leave without clearing the stones
to be continued
date started: 01/10/05
date completed: 01/10/05