Disclaimer: Same as before.

As my thanks for your continuous support, I'm pleased to dedicate this chapter to Lucathia, Lyeza, mikaii, Kenji14 and Night-Owl123!!!

I had a hard time imagining the exchanges between Hikaru and Akira. (-.-); What really goes on in the minds of teenage bishonens totally obsessed with go?!

Chapter Six: Pride and Rivalry

"I won't lose either!" a new voice cut in sharply from behind Ichikawa.

The statement was punctuated by the loud clank of a serving tray hitting the tiled floor. The room fell eerily silent as startled customers paused in their games to ascertain the cause of the disturbance. It did not take long for them to figure out that the noise had something to do with the appearance of Shindou pro who was presently standing impatiently in the middle of the main gaming area. By now, it was common knowledge among the regulars that their young sensei and his rival were a volatile combination.

A long sigh escaped someone's lips from a far corner of the room. Within seconds, the crisp rhythmic sound of go stones being played on wooden boards once again filled the room as if nothing had happened.

Ichikawa blushed furiously as she nervously smoothed the front of her red and white checkered apron with the palm of her hands.

What's the matter with those two today? Ichikawa thought with a frown as she struggled to regain her composure. It seems that they're both out for blood just now.

She smiled prettily as she apologized profusely to the room in general for the distraction. Hastily, she stooped to pick up her fallen tray and lightly stepped aside to let Hikaru through the narrow space between the chairs. As she did so, Ichikawa stole a quick look at the clock on the wall and found that it was only a quarter to three.

Hikaru dropped his backpack carelessly on the floor and unceremoniously pulled a chair to sit across from Akira. Akira looked contemplatively at his long-awaited opponent and noted immediately that there was an unmistakable glint of challenge in Hikaru's gray-green eyes. Akira unflinchingly met this gaze with his usual mask of calm. There was no hint in Akira's expression that he was at all taken aback by Hikaru's unexpectedly early appearance. Akira's eyes flickered briefly over Hikaru as he methodically scanned the blond pro's countenance for signs of weakness from the past week.

He found none.

The corners of Akira's fine lips lifted imperceptibly.

Shindou. I've been waiting for this moment since the Hokuto Cup, Akira thought as he willed the intensity of his gaze to burn on Hikaru. He was rewarded by a look of calm determination, a look which Hikaru often displayed in his professional matches. A familiar shiver of anticipation ran down Akira's spine.

Come at me with all you've got!

Oh boy, Ichikawa thought anxiously as she involuntarily backed away from the rapidly mounting tension radiating from the two young pros. This is going to be another one of those days and they haven't even started playing yet!

"Hey Shindou! Where're your manners?" Kitajima growled as he turned his head to fix a pointed glare at Hikaru's back.

Hirose, who was far more perceptive than Kitajima, said soothingly, "Now, now Kitajima-san, there's no need to get upset. Let's leave them alone. We have our own game to worry about." Kitajima glanced at his opponent's friendly rotund face and merely grunted in response.

--0--0--0--

"You call that move an invasion?" Akira asked doubtfully as he absently stroked his chin with his right hand. "No matter how I look at it, it was an outright reckless move," Akira continued coolly as he pointed to a black stone in the upper middle of the board.

"No, it was not reckless!" Hikaru retorted, annoyed at Akira's refusal to acknowledge his patently brilliant move. "That move was supposed to make you worry. You see, it reduced your territory at the upper right corner here and at the same time, it exploited the weakness of your stones to the left here," Hikaru answered as he looked triumphantly up at Akira.

A frown clouded Akira's features.

"Those white stones were not weak," Akira explained a little impatiently. "I was getting ready to hit your pressure points right there in the middle and my next moves would have protected my forts to the left."

"Oh yeah? If that's the case, how come I was able to cut off your center stones eleven moves later which totally ruined your shape? You were so focused on building your territory in the upper right corner that you totally missed the significance of this move. Admit it!" Hikaru gloated gleefully as he watched Akira seethed silently from across the board. Both knew that Akira lost this game by a slim margin because Akira miscalculated Hikaru's intent behind an unconventional move. Yet, Akira was not going to give up this argument that easily.

"Your shape was horrendous in the lower left corner and I have no idea what you hoped to accomplish by that lousy move!" Akira said coldly as his index finger pointed accusingly at the stone in question.

"Oh, we're talking about me now? You still haven't admitted that you didn't even think of countering that move up there!" Hikaru fumed. Hikaru's voice and the color in his cheeks unconsciously rose a notch as he glared at Akira.

Touya, you're so proud! Why won't you admit your own mistakes?

Akira returned Hikaru's glare with the same intensity and then some. Akira's eyes flashed dangerous as he retaliated in an equally loud voice, "So what's your point? You TOTALLY failed to anticipate my cut here and it cost you your eyes for this group in this lower left region!" Spots of color began to appear on Akira's usually pale cheeks.

Pigs will fly before I'll admit anything to you, Shindou!

"Oh yeah? Touya, besides your OBVIOUS miss up there, you also failed to see this move here didn't you?" Hikaru plowed on mercilessly. His eyes blazed furiously as he stabbed his finger at offending intersection on the board. His voice went up yet another notch.

Several tables down, Kitajima rolled his eyes and Hirose shook his head helplessly at the imminent explosion. Wordlessly, they exchanged a look and retreated to the relative safety of Ichikawa's counter. Others nearby took the hint and swiftly followed suit.

"I did not miss that move," Akira grounded out through gritted teeth, carefully enunciating each word in his sentence. His flushed face betrayed the fact that Hikaru's words had hit its mark.

"What? You even said 'oh yeah!' when I mentioned it to you a couple of minutes ago!"

"I did not!" Akira denied vehemently. "Shindou, YOU were the one who said 'oh yeah' when I pointed out that blatant opening within your territory. Even a tank could have rolled right through it!"

Hikaru flushed hotly. While there was an opening, it was fairly difficult to detect that most players would undoubtedly miss it. Of course, Akira pounced on it and wiped out a good chunk of his territory.

"That's not true!" Hikaru protested by yelling straight at Akira's face. Hikaru abruptly stood up, his hands gripping the sides of the table to support his weight as he leaned forward to glare down at Akira.

"Yes, it's true!" Akira yelled back as he smacked his palms on the table, fury flaring in his turquoise eyes as he scowled darkly up at Hikaru. Realizing his disadvantage, Akira quickly drew himself up to his full height to glare back eye to eye.

"No, it's not true!" Hikaru shouted at the top of his lungs as his face inched forward to emphasize his point.

"Yes, it is!" Akira shouted just as loudly as he strained forward to glower at Hikaru.

"NO, IT'S NOT!"

"YES, IT IS!"

Hikaru and Akira glared angrily at each other, baring their teeth in their ire. Their flushed faces were now mere inches apart. They remained that way for a long moment as neither made a move to back down.

Finally, the tense moment was broken when Hikaru glanced away to settled back down on his seat. This time, Akira was unable to mask his surprise. He had fully expected Hikaru to storm out of the salon like he usually did after their fights.

Neither noticed the collective sighs of relief coming from the direction of Ichikawa's counter. A few of the newer customers, unaccustomed to such scenes, cast wary glances at Akira and Hikaru's table as they gingerly picked their way across the room to resume their games.

"Che!" Hikaru said as he flashed Akira an impish smile. It seemed that Hikaru had already forgotten about the shouting match from a moment ago. "I won and there's nothing you can do to change that! I'm not nearly done with you yet!"

"Don't push your luck!" Akira retorted while trying to keep a straight face. Hikaru's smile can be quite infectious.

Hikaru grinned broadly as he cleared the black stones off the board. He always felt giddy and lightheaded after a win against Akira. This win was particularly sweet since he knew Akira held nothing back.

"Heh heh. I'm the best! I bet that I will have no problems beating Ko Yongha at the Kawasaki!" Hikaru gushed excitedly.

"The Kawasaki?" Akira asked with a frown on his face.

"Oh man, Touya! Are you telling me that I actually know something that you don't?" Hikaru laughed as he reached into his backpack for the flyer.

Akira decided not to dignify that with a comment.

"Here!" Hikaru said as he slapped the flyer on the go board.

Akira reached curiously for the paper. It only took him a moment to absorb all of the information printed on the flyer. Akira rested his chin thoughtfully on his hand as he processed and assimilated what he just learned.

I can practically see the cogs and wheels in his head turn, Hikaru thought with a sweatdrop.

"According to the fax's date stamp, this came in late yesterday evening from Kawasaki Motors. Where did you get this from?" Akira asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Um... from Kosemura-san," Hikaru answered after a small pause.

"Kosemura-san? Oh, the Weekly Go reporter," Akira said as he looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling, an image of a short man with protruding front teeth flashed quickly in his mind.

"Yeah. He told us that the Kawasaki is going to be similar to the Hokuto Cup. Each country will get to send three members to compete in the tournament!" Hikaru replied enthusiastically, his face glowing with excitement.

Us? Akira thought, but he made no comment.

"Kosemura-san also mentioned that there is good chance that both you and I will get an invitation," Hikaru said cheerfully. But, the smile on Hikaru's lips quickly withered away as he recalled what he said to Waya earlier.

"Really?" Akira replied with interest. He had fully expected the professional go world to take notice after Hikaru's outstanding performance at the Hokuto Cup, but he did not think that it would happen so soon. In any case, this latest development further buttressed his conclusion that Hikaru was his destined lifetime rival.

This is good news, Akira thought with a puzzled frown. Yet, why does Shindou look so reserved all of a sudden?

"But," Hikaru said in an oddly subdued voice as he turned his head away, not willing to meet Akira's gaze, "I intend to decline the invitation if Kawasaki ever decides to extend one to me."

Akira stared uncomprehendingly at Hikaru for several seconds as his brain tried to make sense of what Hikaru had just said. Finally, Akira exploded.

"WHAT?" Akira shouted loudly before he could stop himself, a look of utter incredulity was written all over his features. Akira could not believe his ears. Is this the same person who forcibly ousted him from the first board in Japan's match against Korea? Is this the same person who shed all those tears of regret after losing by half a moku to Ko Yongha?

"You heard me!" Hikaru said defensively while putting up a brave front, even as he felt himself cringing under Akira's dark scowl.

"What's wrong with you?!" Akira hissed angrily as his eyes gleamed with unnatural brightness.

Hikaru gulped under the pressure of Akira's wrath. He had expected Akira to be pissed, but the Akira before him was beyond pissed. Akira was absolutely furious.

"I... um...," Hikaru gulped again, quaking under Akira's forbidding look. Hikaru felt himself sweating under the Akira's rage as he searched his mind frantically for the explanation that he had rehearsed on the way to the salon.

Shindou, just when things are finally looking up for you, you have to go out of your way and do something stupid to ruin it don't you! Akira thought furiously as he fought the urge to strangle Hikaru. He was getting fed up with Hikaru's childish attitudes toward the professional go world.

"I want people to know that I'm at the Kawasaki because I've earned my way there and not because it was handed to me on a silver platter," Hikaru blurted out.

Akira was taken aback by the answer. Is Shindou merely naïve or is he overbearingly conceited?

"Did you think that invitations are given just to anybody? Did you seriously think that the Japanese Go Institute would allow that?" Akira asked acidly. "Have you ever considered how STUPID it looks to turn down Kawasaki's invitation and then show up to play at the qualifying tournament?" Akira was fairly shouting at this point.

Hikaru winced inwardly under the harsh tone, but he looked undauntedly at Akira and shouted back, "I don't care how stupid I look! If I can't make it through the selection rounds, how can I expect to beat Ko Yongha at the actual tournament?"

Again, it comes back to Ko Yongha, Akira thought savagely as he continued to pin Hikaru down with the intensity of his glare. Who do you think you are? Have you forgotten who your true rival is? Your manic need to beat Ko Yongha at all costs undoubtedly stems from your obsession with Shuusaku, but if you think that I'm going to docilely step aside a second time, you're in for a surprise!

"What makes you think that you will be the one facing Ko Yongha at the tournament, that is, assuming that you are going to be in the tournament?" Akira asked icily. Akira exerted his willpower to force his temper under control. His usual mask of expressionless calm fell flawlessly back into place.

Hikaru glanced uneasily at Akira's deceptively calm demeanor. In many ways, this Akira was ten times worse than the screaming one from before.

"What do you mean?" Hikaru snapped. Akira's words of softly-veiled menace struck a cord of fear within Hikaru.

What's on your mind, Touya? Hikaru thought.

"If you find it so insulting to accept an invitation to a tournament, then I think I should feel the same way," Akira said smoothly. "After all, I wouldn't want people to think that I'm taking an unfair advantage of my competition."

Hikaru stared speechlessly at Akira.

"You just said so yourself that it'll be stupid to decline the invitation and then show up for the qualifying tournament!"

Akira did not answer, but merely continued to glance coolly at Hikaru.

"You're joking right? There's no need for you to do that. Everyone knows that Touya Akira 3-dan is one of the youngest pro ever to make it into the Honinbou League. No one would ever dare to question your selection," Hikaru protested as he looked searchingly at Akira. Hikaru balled his hands into fists to prevent them from trembling.

"I could have said the same for you," Akira replied calmly as he nonchalantly crossed his arms across his chest.

Hikaru's gray-green eyes narrowed as he regarded Akira suspiciously, uncertain what the green hair young man sitting across from him was thinking.

"I guess I'll be seeing you at the qualifying tournament," Akira said quietly as he firmly pushed the flyer back to Hikaru.

Hikaru silently stuffed the flyer back into his backpack.

Then it hit him.

"We might be paired against each other at the preliminary rounds," Hikaru said tensely as he tried to gauge Akira's reaction.

"That's right. If that happens, one of us will be eliminated," Akira agreed, his expression unreadable.

Hikaru felt an uncomfortable squeeze at his heart as his stomach dropped. The blood in his veins seemed to have run cold at Akira's words.

"Why?" Hikaru asked sharply. "Why take the chance? Don't you want us to be on the same team again?"

"What do you think?" Akira countered.

Hikaru stared blankly at Akira.

Akira's turquoise-colored eyes bore intently into Hikaru and with deliberate softness, he said, "I did not stand in your way at the Hokuto Cup because I knew how important that match was to you. But since you're so adamant on not getting a free ride to the Kawasaki, why not go all the way? If you want to play against Ko Yongha as the first board in the Kawasaki, then you're going to have to go through me."

Hikaru's eyes widen slightly in surprise. He could tell that Akira was dead serious. Akira was letting him know point-blank that he was not planning to let Hikaru move ahead of him without a fight. Then it came to him. In a flash of remarkable clarity, Hikaru understood.

Touya, you are my rival.

"Let's play! I'll show you again that I can beat you and that I'm not just blowing hot air around here!" Hikaru said loudly.

"Ah-ha! So that's why the room has been feeling warm around here," Kitajima said sarcastically as he slapped a go stone onto the board. Hirose glanced apologetically at the two pros from across the tables and quickly diverted his grouchy opponent's attention back to the game.

--0--0--0--

In the minds of Akira and Hikaru, all of the sounds and images around them faded into nonexistence. Nothing mattered except for the go board that sat between them.

"Please," Akira and Hikaru said the ritualistic phrase simultaneously and gave each other a small bow over the board.

Hikaru reached into the wooden bowl and played a standard opening on the 4-4 point, hoshi, in the upper right corner. Without hesitation, Akira took the lower right hoshi. Swiftly, Hikaru claimed the upper left corner by playing a stone on the 3-4 point, komoku. Instead of taking the lower left corner as was the common strategy, Akira laid the groundwork for an invasion into the upper left corner by playing a one space jump to the right of Hikaru's komoku.

Aren't we aggressive today? Hikaru thought as he played a stone on the 8-4 point to extend his territory in the upper middle.

I'm not going to waste time staking out my territory, Akira thought as he played a stone to extend his territory down the left side of the board. Shindou, let's make this interesting. We're both after the same thing, so let's see who can get there first. If you think you're good enough to win against Ko Yongha, prove it now!

So you want to fight from the beginning to the end? I'll give you a fight! Hikaru thought fiercely. There was an intense glint in his eyes as he began his attack on the white stone that dared to infringe on his territory.

A fight quickly broke out in the upper left section of the board as each sought dominance over the other. With each move, the outlines of territories became more defined. Within minutes, the upper left corner was filled with black and white stones, but they were evenly matched and so far neither had a clear advantage over the other. In the meanwhile, Hikaru's black groups had also started to develop a strong hold on the lower right corner.

If you're not going to take the lower left corner, I will! Hikaru thought. His eyes narrowed as he swiftly placed a black stone on the lower left hoshi with a resounding pa-chi!

Hm... a double extension, Akira thought with a frown. So you think that you can take control of the board with that move? It doesn't matter, let's see how you respond to this, Akira thought as he impassively played a white stone at the 7-9 point near the upper middle of the board.

Hikaru stared at the stone that was just played and quickly calmed himself. He stole a quick glance at his opponent. Akira's expression of absolute concentration gave nothing away.

Touya, that was an impressive move, Hikaru thought with grudging respect as he rapidly assessed the situation. That move strengthened the white stones in the upper left corner while weakening the effectiveness of my group in that area. At the same time, it served to expand your territories to the right and prepared your troops for invasion into the lower left. Nevertheless, I won't be so easily defeated!

--0--0--0--

Hikaru frowned deeply as he studied the complicated pattern of stones on the left side of the board. A ko fight had broken out over the lower left corner of the board as the army of black and white stones fought bitterly for control of the territory.

This is no good, Hikaru thought as he ran a frustrated hand through his blond bangs. I'm losing this ko fight. Every time I think I've got him, Touya merely comes back with an even more ingenious ko threat. I'm running out of options. This is just not working out.

Shindou. You've put up a good fight, but it's not enough, Akira thought as he quietly observed Hikaru's body language.

"I have nothing," Hikaru said curtly as he gave Akira a brief nod. Hikaru carefully kept his head lowered without meeting Akira's gaze.

"Thank you for the game," Akira replied calmly.

"I'm still not good enough, am I?" Hikaru asked quietly.

"Shindou?" Akira questioned with a frown. Why is Shindou so moody all of a sudden? Shindou usually gets loud, but never depressed, over a loss in their private matches.

"If that was a game in the qualifying round for the Kawasaki, I would have been eliminated," Hikaru replied. His shoulders sagged slightly as he propped his chin on his hand, staring at the wall's wooden paneling.

"But it wasn't."

"It could have been."

"But it wasn't!" Akira insisted.

"It could have been!" Hikaru snarled as he turned to glare angrily at Akira.

Touya. Why do you have to purposely get in my way? Hikaru thought furiously as his eyes continue to shoot daggers at Akira.

Akira sat unperturbed across from him, seemingly immune to Hikaru's murderous gaze. Hikaru looked away and forced himself to take a deep breath.

No. It's not your fault, Hikaru thought reluctantly, his blond bangs hiding his eyes from Akira's view. If anything, you're reminding me just how far I still have to go before I reach the level of a first board. Still, it's not fair! Hikaru thought as his hands tightly gripped the fabric of his jeans. Touya, I haven't counted on you to complicate matters by choosing to participate in the qualifying tournament.

Akira watched the top of Hikaru head as he waited patiently for Hikaru to speak.

Heh! It doesn't matter. I've overcome impossible odds before and this will be no exception, Hikaru decided. Of all the younger pros that I have played against so far, you're probably the only one that I have yet to beat in a professional game. But, that will soon change. Hikaru nodded to himself. The Young Lions Tournament will be the first step. After that, I'll beat you again at the Kawasaki qualifying tournament if I have to!

In a swift motion, Hikaru picked up his backpack and was about to leave when Akira called out.

"Wait! We haven't discussed this game yet," Akira said.

"We'll do it next time," Hikaru said impatiently.

"Are you still sulking because you lost?" Akira said with a raised eyebrow as he affixed an innocent look on his face.

"I was not sulking!" Hikaru bristled under Akira's look while flushing crimson at the accusation.

"Yes, you were," Akira replied with an irritating calmness that irked Hikaru.

"I was not!" Hikaru countered forcefully.

"Yes, you were!"

"I WAS NOT!"

"YES, YOU WERE!"

"I'M LEAVING!" Hikaru shouted at the top of his lungs as he stormed out of the salon with all the dignity he could muster.

A/N: It was a real challenge writing this chapter, but as hattuteline pointed out in his review, Hikago won't be Hikago if the element of go was blatantly missing. Hopefully, this turned out ok. ) I'm not going to explain what a ko fight is, but just imagine the match between Hikaru and the Chinese pro at the Hokuto Cup. A ko fight broke out right before the endgame when Hikaru tried to catch up by frantically taking prisoners. That's the essence of a ko fight.

Who would have thought that a little hint that Kawasaki will be sending out invitations can create so much drama? It appears that all three slots are opened at this point. So anything goes! (Isumi-san should be very happy now...)

As always, reviews and suggestions are appreciated. I'm getting blown away by the detailed reviews that are in my mailbox. /cries happily/ They really help the story develop and they keep this fic alive!

Lachesis's shrine to reviewers:

Lucathia - I hope there's enough dosage of Akira in this chapter to keep you happy! Extra strength, just for you! Should Akira keep his consecutive wins? Hmm... what do you think, mikaii? Yes, Isumi is such a worrywart isn't he?

Lyeza - Yes, this fic follows the side stories closely and uses that to spring board into my own plot. I will attempt to continue the scene where Hikaru and Akira go into a showdown. (I doubt I'm giving much away here. Everyone is expecting this scene to come up in my future chapter, ne?) Also, thanks for your input on Waya, I feel the same way.

mikaii - You're right, chapter 5 was short. I purposely kept the Hikaru/Waya/Isumi interaction brief (by my standards anyway), because I was eager to introduce Akira. In any case, this chapter is substantially longer, so enjoy enjoy...

Kenji14 - Thanks! I hope you liked the Hikaru/Akira interaction here!

Night-Owl123 - It's always nice to know that someone is looking forward to my chapters! Thanks!

hattuteline - All I can say is that I tried to write about go. ) I've been plotting this chapter even before I got your e-mail. I think I need to study more go before I attempt to write the Young Lions chapter. -.-;

Hikaru-009 - Yes, this story is very detailed, but I think it works for me. I'm glad you like it. ) As for shonen-ai elements, I think I only injected one so far and I don't have any plans to put anymore in. See my response to O-B-E-L-I-S-K1 for my thoughts on Sai.

O-B-E-L-I-S-K1 - Thank you for your compliments! I agree that the fan passing scene was the most touching scene in the whole series (or in any series for that matter!). As for the idea of Sai coming back as a gorgeous woman (good try!), I'm afraid that's just not gonna work. I've seen fics with Sai coming back as a reincarnation of someone (male, female, children), but I always find them kinda awkward and you can easily write yourself into a corner. In my mind, if Sai ever gets reincarnated, that person is no longer Sai. I can't have that happen! ) I have something in mind for Sai, but for now, he's going to keep a low profile.

Thank you for reading!!!