"There is no such thing as coincidence in this world. The only thing is hitsuzen.
Hitsuzen...A naturally fore-ordained event. A state in which all other outcomes are impossible." -Clamp, XXXHolic

Chapter 2: Planned Coincidences

When Hikaru asked her grandfather for a game on a Tuesday evening, he'd been so overjoyed he ended up giving a monologue about how "the time has finally come." Grumbling, she sat herself at the goban, trying to ignore her grandfather's yells of "My Hikaru is going to carry over our family traditions!" and briefly thought of how traditions usually involve more than one adept member of the family. Sai was having his own little celebration as well, after thanking the girl who seemed like she thought anything was a more fascinating thing to do, going as far as studying the ceiling, as if searching for some divine interference. She then proceeded to impatiently tap her nails against the goban, to Sai's dismay.

"I was wondering when we'd actually play gramps," she huffed out.

"Right away," Heihachi replied, excitedly sitting across of her. "How many stones would you like to place Hikaru-chan?"

Without giving Sai as much a glance, she firmly responded, "None gramps, I'm actually pretty decent."

And she was. Or at least Sai was. In the midst of playing, Sai noticed that "the magic box isn't correctly counting territory", forcing her to look up the reason. Sai was a thousand years late on many of the rules, and they had sat down to review them. Well, she was only scrolling the page, but that in its own right was tiring too. Next thing she knows, Sai starts screaming about his name in the box and she looks and finds forums dedicated to him and his play, comparing him to Shusaku, a genius of his time she learned. It took her a minute to grasp that he was actually Shoezaku the guy Sai was always yammering about, and if Sai was Shusaku, well, damn. She never really thought of reading beyond that, as she had already understood how strong of a player Sai really is.

Heihachi studied her curiously. Hikaru was indeed a bigmouthed brat, but that was only because she could always back up her claims. He remembers a funny story when he bought a particular shinobue that had caught his eye a few years back. He'd left it on display and wouldn't let anybody even close to it. Hikaru, who was eleven at the time, and short of pocket money, had bet him that if she learned to play it in two months, he would have to give it to her. If she hadn't, she would uptake all the menial household chores for the rest of the year. One month later, a pleased Hikaru skipped out of a pawnshop with a deflated Heihachi in tow, and five hundred dollars that she never got to keep. Her mom was furious to say the least.

"Fine then, but don't start crying when I flat out crush you," he couldn't help but tease. "I'll still let you play black though."

Sai settled himself next to her, and bowed, "Onegaishimasu."

She too, gave the standard greeting, with her grandfather following course.

"Alright, shall we start Sai?"

He gave her a small, determined nod, pointing his fan at a point besides the corner hoshi.

"16-17"

Compliantly, she fished for a stone from the bowl, still not physically accustomed to playing the game, and shakily placed it. After a few more hands, her grandfather glanced skeptically at the board. Shusaku's diagonal? Such an outdated opening. But then, does that mean she's been studying Go?

He looked at his granddaughter, examining the way she has been placing stones. She held them like a kid, and he let out a sigh at her poor form. At least she's been reading about it.

The next few minutes were the most hectic moments in Heihachi's life. At first he'd felt awed at how well placed Hikaru's moves were. It was just a small, fleeting feeling that made him momentarily appreciate the effort Hikaru has put into this. The next feeling was one of confusion, where he'd just lost track of the board and where all of this was going. When the territories were drawn and the shape took form, he was afraid. It was all part of an intricate plan. He regarded his granddaughter's expression, bored and impatient, already out of seiza, leaning back with outstretched arms for support.

She curiously glanced at him, "What is it? Grandpa you've been sighing and giving me the evil eye the entire time."

"I resign," he have a slight bow. When Hikaru had the time to grow into such an outstanding player was beyond him. He always knew she was remarkably bright, but this bordered genius. It is genius. He let out a rowdy laugh, "Well I'll be damned. Hikaru where'd you learn that, huh?"

"Uh, a friend of mine is teaching me I guess," she nervously scratched her cheek. It was the first time someone had asked her of how she'd come to play so well. Most people online just skipped past that and asked to play them.

"Well that's some pretty good friend you have," he looked at her interestedly, "is he a pro?"

"A what?"

"A professional Go player. They tutor, play in tournaments and everything-"

Hey Hikaru, can we do that?!

"Tournaments? Like…like soccer tournaments, or basketball or something?" her eyes widened incredulously.

"Hey, what's with the look? Go is a sport too, of the mind that is. Do you even know how prestigious owning a title is?" he pointed a finger at her, looking offended.

She looked at him with a deadpan face, then found herself wheezing on the floor, "Hah, Go! Prestigious."

At the look on her granddad's face, she attempted calming herself down, wiping her tears away.

"Hikaru-chan, the winner of the Meijin title receives 28 million yen."

She stilled, and for a solid minute she just sat there with a gaping face.

"Hikaru?"

Then it hit her.

"Sai, we're going to be rich."

"Eh? But I only want to play Go."

"Trust me. I'll have you drowning in it."

"Hikaru, that was in poor taste. I'm hurt."

"Boohoo. Cry me a river. Then maybe try not to drown in it."

"Hikaaruuuu! You meanie!"

Ignoring the wailing ghost, she turned attention back to her grandfather, "Hey gramps, how do you become...pro?"

Heihachi looked at her in disbelief. Hikaru was interested in something for once? Even if it was monetary based, this is an improvement.

"Well, tell you what Hikaru, I'll ask a pro about that. I haven't a clue," he laughed. He was happy to help her in any way he can, and with the level of game she played today, she's going to be something. Though he still wondered about that friend of hers. For him to get his stubborn granddaughter to learn Go so fast and so well, now he, must be a monster.

She pulled herself up, stretching her limbs, "Thanks gramps!"

"Oh, and you can have the goban. Not the one with the blood though," he teasingly winked, "wouldn't want you fainting kid."

"If only he knew," she glared at her the ghost besides her.

He shivered, "What? You gave me quite the fright too! I thought you were dead, then what would I have done?"

"Go find another damn host you parasitic ghost. Only don't actually. Now you gave me an incentive to help you. Bwahahah!"

"Mou- I didn't mean it that way Hikaru! How would I have carried on, knowing that I killed a person?"

"Or so you say."

Then Sai had looked down, a sad expression slowly overtaking his face. He gave Hikaru, a long glance, tears already pooling in his eyes, "Don't say that, Hikaru!"

She laughed, not even attempting to dodge his measly efforts at swiping her with his fan. But she met his gaze steadily, and in the violet of his beautiful, broken eyes, he looked like he actually killed someone.

By the time Hikaru made it home, she felt as though she could do nothing but sleep, but her parents had other plans. At first, Mitsuko Shindo gave her daughter a piece of her mind about "girls wandering alone late at night", and Sai, ever the gentlemen, responded with an indignant "Don't worry ma'am. I would never allow your daughter out of my sight!" and a flurry of robes. Hikaru briefly wondered what her mom would think of that. The very thought made her struggle for breath, having a hard time looking at either of them. Seeing her daughter laugh in earnest for the first time in a while made her smile a bit herself, though still unsure how the many dangers lurking at night were funny exactly. She sighed, beckoning her over to the dinner table where her father was already seated.

"So, Hikaru," her mother started nervously, glancing at her husband, "your dad and I heard you were doing really well at school."

Damn you Ueno-sensei.

"Uh...well, yeah I decided to study a bit more," she avoided meeting their eyes.

"That's great Hikaru! I mean, it's so nice finally seeing you put some effort into things!"

Her parents both smiled at her. That was the thing about doing well. Once you do it, people keep expecting more and more out of you, until they consumed your very being. What if she couldn't meet those standards? What if she wasn't enough? The thought of losing herself to others terrified Hikaru. It got to her so much, that her entire disposition seemed to revolve around putting people down, turning them away from whatever preconceived notions they had of her. So she downplayed herself, goofed off, dyed her hair, skipped classes, hanged out with the wrong crowd. She was killing the future she feared she'd never make.

She stood up, disconcerted, losing her footing. "I'm sorry, I'm tired right now. I really have to go." She hastily made her way up to her room.

"Ne Hikaru! That was so rude!"

"Shut up Sai. Shut up, shut up, shut up."

Sai looked at her worriedly, never having seen Hikaru act so closed off. She always seemed like such a happy kid, smiling and joking around with others, but that doesn't seem to be the case. His keen eyes did not miss the weary looks she had around people, or the studied disregard she had for authority figures. She would just shut herself away from people, and the idea of a desolate Hikaru unsettled him. What put him off the most was the pattern that his hosts seemed to follow. He clutched his fan to his chest, Maybe this time…

"But Hikaru! It's been so long since we last...talked," her mom called out, voice gradually shifting to a stifled whisper.

Hikaru froze in place, narrowed her eyes and continued at her brisk pace. The door slammed shut behind her, as she slowly sank against it.

Shindo Tobio placed a comforting hand on his wife's back, "It's alright dear. We can try again tomorrow."

She sorrowfully looked down, shaking her head, "It's all my fault isn't it. I think about it everyday, Tobio. If only I hadn't." She laughed bitterly, "and we thought she was improving."

"It's not your fault dear," he said firmly, "don't you dare think it is."

"It's just..." he paused, contemplating the words he was about to say, "death is not easily overcome, especially at her age."

She stifled a sob, a hand covering her face. "I know dear, I know."

Hikaru awoke to a nagging voice that she couldn't get to shut up.

"Hikaru. Hikaru! Hikaruuuu!"

"Just quit your yammering already!"

She covered her face with a pillow, just wishing it would somehow turn to a pillow ghost that could actually hit Sai's face when she flung it at him.

"But Hikaru it's already noon! You're really late for class!"

"Urgh. School."

"Don't say that Hikaru, I find that place very interesting! We learn a lot, I'm even learning Engurish! Look! Goodu morningu myu keety."

"Sai, I swear if you pull that shit again I will cut my hands off and you can kiss Go goodbye."

"What! Bu-but that's what Mitsuki-sensei was saying last class!"

"Well sometimes I can only wonder how Mitsuki-sensei landed a job let alone graduate."

"Is it she that bad?"

"Yes. Yes, she is Sai. Now get outta my way so I can get dressed."

"Ne, Hikaru, what is a keety?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes!"

"Well you see, a keety is…"

Sai's eyes widened. "Hi-hi-hikaru!" He sputtered.

She let out a maniacal laugh.

"You asked, Sai."

"I will never speak Engrishu again."

"Damn right you ain't."

By the time class ended, which was English and Sai was giving Mitsuki-sensei a judging glare the entire course, Hikaru had been forced to attend a goukon with friends later on. It would include her, Akari, and Ayumi, a senpai who had already graduated. Ayumi was also going to bring a friend or two, sources cite (sources being Akari, a seasoned reporter who, for all her scoops, should have already published a journal by now). Akari had dragged Hikaru all the way home, excitedly blabbering about "what we should wear" and "makeup!" Once she had finished rummaging the entirety of her closet, she settled on a cute, knee length teal dress that did her complexion wonders.

"You look pretty, Akari!" Hikaru complemented in earnest, after endlessly telling her she looked fine in other dresses.

"Fufufu-I do, don't I?" she said, examining herself in the mirror, " now I might actually find myself a good catch."

Hikaru sighed, not even remotely wanting to go. I'm a victim of all of this. Hey, maybe I should ditch.

As if reading her mind, Akari immediately turned to her, jabbing a finger in her face. "Now, your turn."

"God, what have I done to deserve this?" her eyes pleaded the ceiling for help.

"Hey, dressing up is fun Hikaru! Where are we going?"

She glared at him. "You'll know soon."

After they had relocated to Hikaru's house, which was right next-door, her room underwent the same proceedings, with clothes strewn on the floor. Hikaru then found a black, silk blouse with blossoming flowers in shades of pink and a startling violet, softly descending from the collar.

Sai thought it suited Hikaru perfectly, an empty black with no expectations attached. But then, the girl blooms with a potential so vibrant against the stark black, that it left people in awe. A persevering flower trapped in a dark place. She, for all her worth, could not kill her own potential.

Sai smiled, "You look simply divine, Hikaru."

She looked flustered, "You think so?"

"Quite", he nodded.

"You look stunning! Oh my God, I can't wait to see how we'll look with makeup," she excitedly skipped around looking for a skirt to match the blouse. "Hey, it'd be such a waste if you don't have a skirt with this," she whined.

"How about this one?" Hikaru lifted a mid-length, black chiffon skirt with a slightly transparent second layer, that once she wore, seemed to flow quite nicely.

"Perfect," she pushed her to a chair. "Now the makeup."

After what seemed like eternity to Hikaru, they wobbled out of the house in heels, with curled hair(and lashes) and makeup smothered faces. Sai was gushing over them the entire way.

Waya fidgeted on the izakaya's tatami flooring giving Kawasaki a piece of his mind. "You know, I'm only doing this because I lost. Man, I hate goukons, they're the worst. Everyone is so awkward, no one knows what to say," his face scrunched up in disdain.

"Eh, it's only just this once Waya! Bear with me please, Shizuo had something come up and you were the first person in front of me," he whined, looking at him helplessly. "Besides, Ayumi said the girls coming were really cute!"

"I don't even know who this Ayumi person is, and for the umpteenth time, I don't care," he huffed, frustrated.

"Pfft," one of Kawasaki's friends snickered, "look at you, guy. 'I don't care he says'."

Kawasaki sent him an annoyed look, "Shut up Masato."

Waya sighed. Now the girls were late and making him stay even longer in this goddamn place. When would they jus-

"Hey Kawasaki!" A redheaded girl waved excitedly. "It's been a while!"

"Ayumi! You look great!"

And she did look great. The girls looked damn gorgeous. Ayumi had short, sharp hair and was stylishly dressed in a peplum shirt and wide pants that complemented her willowy figure. Behind her was a shy girl that leaned more towards the plain side, but had quite a pleasant overall look. One was in a teal dress, and holy shit, she looked good. Kawasaki's friends seemed to agree with him, giving her glances and whispering something Waya couldn't hear, but sort of caught the gist of. When his eyes found the last of the girls, who looked kind of abashed and out of place, he froze. She was pretty, in the sort of way that didn't need a flashy dress to make a statement. Though she had bleached her bangs, Waya noticed. She was simply clad in a black blouse and skirt, which seemed to send focus to her face instead. Wide, sycamore eyes met his, and her perfect, rosy lips curved into a smile. Waya felt himself dying.

"Ah right, this here is Midori," she pointed at the plain girl, after all of them have been seated, "she's a friend from college."

Midori politely bowed, "It's nice meeting you."

The guys smiled and bowed back. Guess who Ms. Stiff is.

"These two were my high school kouhai," she introduced. "They're so bad to me, not even treating me like I'm any older," she pouted.

"Eh, you're making us sound really rude Ayumi-chan," Akari laughed good-naturedly. "I'm Fujisaki Akari by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Fujisaki-san!" came the all too excited group response. Waya rolled his eyes, and then settled themcuriously on the remaining girl. She coughed nervously, her cheeks coloring a bit, "I'm Shindo. Shindo Hikaru." How cute.

"Eh, look at you Hikaru-chan, being all shy! Give her a minute she'll drop the act," Ayumi laughed, smacking her in the back. "She's actually quite a loudmouth."

"She's right Hikaru," Sai admitted, trying not to laugh.

"Am not! Ayumi do you want me to remind you of your blabber mouth's golden ages?!"

"You see," Ayumi pointed at Hikaru, "I told you!"

And just like that, whatever tension there had been melted with bouts of laughter.

Shindo Hikaru was nothing like he thought she'd be. Instead of the silent, gentle girl he'd imagined, she was an outgoing and quick-witted girl, controlling the entire pace and mood of the goukon. She'd crack a joke to ease the mood, and then she'd aim the questions at them in an easy going manner, making sure everyone gets their fair of attention. Whenever anyone seemed uncomfortable answering, she'd quickly divert their attention to something else, like jobs for example. Which is how Waya felt himself nervously answering, "I'm actually a Go Professional." He was half expecting the usual "That's a job?" question but was surprised to see Shindo's eyes light up in recognition. "Wow! So you're a pro," she exclaimed, "why didn't you say so! Man that's great."

Waya blinked. This was not a normal reaction, he thought. At her animated reply Kawasaki had excitedly answered, "Hey, me too! I'm even better than Waya here."

"Eh," her malachite eyes studied him and Kawasaki, "wow, this really is great." Then she let out a laugh that startled the entire group. The other guys, trying to steal the attention to themselves again, started to chatter about their part time jobs. Hikaru quickly caught his eyes, and nodded her head towards the door. She excused herself to the bathroom, and he followed her out not too long after.

"Do you really think this is going to work Hikaru? I don't think he's coming. Just go back inside, look at the drunk people here! I really don't think your mother is going to be happy with this," he shifted uncomfortably.

When they had first arrived, he was throwing a hissy fit."Hikaru why are we at a pub? A girl like you shouldn't be at a place like this!" And then he looked absolutely horrified, "Hikaru. We're not…we're not meeting men are we?" She comforted his trepidations with an "I'm just accompanying Akari, Sai. I can't leave the girl alone." and her chivalrous intentions seemed to shut him up for the time being.

"It is, Sai. Oh look, here he is."

Once Waya made it out the door, she grabbed his arm and started walking.

The boy yelped, ears turning red, "Hey, where are we going?"

"We are going for a walk, and while we do that, you are going to tell me just how someone becomes a pro," she stated factually.

Waya skidded to a halt, "Wait. You're actually interested in Go?"

She managed a confused look on her face, "What, you thought I was in there feigning interest or something?"

"Well," he looked at her prying eyes, "well yeah."

The way she easily seemed to manipulate the outing made him a bit skeptical about her true feelings on matters. Or maybe he was reading into this too much, and she just was an upbeat social butterfly or something. The way her eyes had glinted humorously at his blunt answer made him think otherwise.

"Ah, I kind of see how you got that impression," she joked, smiling mischievously. " With how long you've been staring at me, I thought I wasn't real either."

Waya choked, "M-Me? Stare at you? Get over yourself Shindo."

"Look at you, already dropping the -san. I suppose this constitutes the beginning of our non-suffix relationship," she nodded.

"Relationship?" he sputtered, bewildered. "Shindo, we met barely an hour ago."

"And yet, here we are, strolling in the middle of this fine night," she motioned, "hand in hand."

"It's only 8 Shindo! And hand in what now?!"

"Jeez, relax Waya. Man, you're so fun to tease," she grinned, an impish look on her face.

Waya briefly wondered what happened to the girl who an hour ago, seemed to him shy and demure.

RIP shy girl, he thought, it was nice knowing you for a few minutes.

"So? How did you become a pro?"

"Why are you asking? You know someone who is interested?"

She looked offended, "Why? Do I not seem the type to play Go?"

"Not really, no," he answered honestly, eying her bleached hair. "Though with that twisted personality of yours you won't have to worry about fitting in." Honestly, he has never met one normal Go professional, and it seemed like quirkiness was a qualification for the job.

She snickered, already enjoying his upfront and insightful responses, "This job is sounding more interesting by the minute."

"It is. And to answer your question, for whoever's life you're prying into right now, there is a Pro exam. Though I was an insei before taking it. Is your friend going to be one?"

She looked at him questioningly, "Insei? Are they like, apprentices?"

"Sort of, yeah," he scratched his head, trying to explain. "They play against each other to increase their rankings. Top insei don't have to go through the pro exam preliminaries."

"So, were you? A top insei, I mean," she asked.

"I was," he answered unpretentiously. "But it really isn't easy. You'd have to attend group studies with a high-dan professional as well. Go salons. Practice is everything. It still is."

She whistled appreciatively, "Wow that seems like a lot of work."

"Thank God I have you Sai."

"You know, although I will be playing Go, I somehow do not have a good feeling about this."

"You will once you start playing. These are strong players we're talking about."

"Yeah, so make sure your friend knows what he's getting himself into."

"I'll pass the message on," she smiled, looking thoroughly amused.

"Say, maybe I can take him to the Go institute if he's okay with that," he suggested with a smirk.

"I think he would very much like that," she nodded affirmatively.

"Great," he began, before bending at a corner. "Hey look at what I found," he beckoned her over. "It's a kitty!"

Sai gasped, "Hikaru! He- he said that word!"

"What word Sai?"

"K-keety," he whispered in mortification, "That foulmouthed boy! To think I trusted his honor because of his status as a Go player," he shook his head in disbelief.

She slapped her head remembering the little white lie she'd told Sai earlier in the day. "Foulmouthed indeed," she nodded sagely. "How dare he utter such words like…keety?"

She laughed at his expression.

"Didn't figure you as the kind of guy to pick up stray cats."

"Hey, what's wrong with that?" he defended, thinking she was laughing at his expense.

"Nothing wrong with it," she bended over, petting the kitten herself, "just didn't think you'd do it."

Waya looked over at her, not sure whether to take her comment as a compliment or an offense to what he thought was his kindhearted nature. A smile lit up her face as the kitten nuzzled her hands. "Hey, it's kind of ticklish," she giggled, meeting his eyes. He looked away, feeling his face heat up. "Get up, let's find it some food."

"Help me up," she stretched her hand out. "I'm wearing heels," she justified, after noticing his initial unwillingness to help. With a sigh, Waya grabbed her small hands and pulled her up, almost using too much force as he misgauged her weight.

"Were you were trying to dismantle my hands Waya?" she glared, rolling her wrists uncomfortably.

"Shut up and walk Shindo," he placed his hands in his pockets, walking at a faster pace. Her hands were soft.

After they'd fed the cat and built her a semi-shelter out of boxes they'd found, they hurried back to their friends, noticing the great amount of time they'd been missing.

"Great now they probably think I abducted you or something," he whined, walking even more quickly.

"No they won't," she reassured, though Akari probably did think that. "Will you slow down? If I knew I was in for a jog," her tone dropped dangerously, "I would have worn some shoes instead."

"Just whose grand idea was this?" he asked incredulously, his voice rising a couple octaves, raising his hands at the sky in frustration.

"Oh, can it Waya," she waved him off. "Look we're already here."

"Hikaru!" her friend called out, rushing to her. "Hikaru where were you? We were all so worried a-and I thought that-"

Waya sent her an unimpressed look, a silent 'I told you so'. She shrugged.

"Well here I am," she almost gave a twirl, "all in one piece."

Akari sighed, "You should've at least told me. Anyways, we were just about to leave. They're inside trying to contact you guys, why weren't you answering?"

"I don't have my phone with me?" she tried.

"Mine was on silent."

"You're hopeless. Let's just leave," she said, resignedly stopping her reprimands. She didn't seem too happy with the outing. Hikaru would remember to ask her about it later.

"Hikaru, I think you must apologize to Akari later," Sai chastised.

"Yeah, sure let's do that," she rolled her eyes.

"We weren't even supervising her like we'd agreed on," he said, looking down guiltily.

After having to explain to the fretting group that they'd only gone out for a breath of air since it was so stuffy inside, they bade their goodbyes and took off. Waya and Hikaru were confused about the plummeting mood that shrouded the group, but took time to exchange email addresses, all the while Kawasaki was glaring pointedly at Akari.

It was silent car ride, until Ayumi thought to break it.

"Akari and Kawasaki had a bit of an argument," she revealed.

Hikaru looked at Akari, who was worrying her dress and avoiding eye contact.

"Really? It had to do with Waya and I's disappearance I'm assuming," she stared out of the window, acting rather impartial to the matter.

"See? Now you really should apologize," Sai pointed out.

"Well yeah, but Kawasaki kept firmly defending Waya, he said he wasn't like that," Ayumi continued. "In any case, a Go player? Hikaru, I never thought that was your type," she laughed skeptically.

Sai looked slighted, "What's wrong with with Go players," he questioned.

"It's not like that," she adamantly stated. "Besides, isn't Kawasaki a Go player?" she shot back.

"Who said I was interested in Kawasaki? I was expecting someone else, but he didn't come after all," she replied bitterly.

"Well that was a failed goukan, huh?"

Akari gasped, slapping her arm, "Hikaru!"

Ayumi chortled heartily, "That's more like it."

The mood slowly eased, and by the time Akari and her got home, they were all back in high spirits.

Her grandfather called her the next morning, "Hikaru-chan! Come over this evening, alright? I have something for you," he told her in an eager voice, which piqued Hikaru's interest.

Afterschool, she decided to hang out with Akari, mostly to make up for the grief she'd caused the girl yesterday. After they'd slipped into silence walking back home, she'd turned to her and and apologized, "Hey, I'm sorry about yesterday."

"It's alright, Hikaru," she smiled. "Though the Kawasaki fight was the real deal. Too bad you missed it," she laughed, knowing how Hikaru would jump headfirst into any fight, really.

"Well aren't I just lucky to have you fill me in," she poked her with an elbow.

The rest of their way home was spent discussing the Akari's heroic endeavors in the previous night, and just before they parted, Akari looked at her teasingly and said "About Waya-kun, he looks cool. You have my blessings."

"Akari, it isn't like that!"

Dressed in a comfortable sweater, she slipped on her high-tops and left for her grandparents'.

"Hey, what do you think he wants to show us Sai?"

"I have a feeling it's going to be Go related," he chippered.

As she navigated her way through the familiar neighborhood, a boy who looked about her age, dressed too formally for the suburbs, came up to her with a polite smile and a piece of paper in hand.

"Hello," he began good manneredly. "I'm looking for this address, but I think I'm a bit lost," he admitted, looking abashed, as if he wasn't used to making silly blunders, like getting lost.

"Oh, sure, just let me see-" she looked at the address scribbled down, and upon reading the address, her face scrunched up in confusion.

She met his expectant viridian grey eyes, which turned apologetic when he saw her expression, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, I'll manage somehow," he chuckled, reaching back for the paper.

"Oh I know where that is," she professed.

The raven-haired boy turned back to her immediately, "You do?"

"Well it'd be strange not to," she began, "it's my grandparents' home."

"Hikaru, do you think…?"

"Well, probably Sai."

The boy's eyes widened in understanding. "I'm Touya Akira," he bowed formally. "I believe your grandfather, Shindo-san, hired me for a private Go lesson."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! You guys made my week!

EternallyInternal: Yes, Hikaru is older here! Hahaha, by the next chapter, she's going to know quite a few:)

Z:Yeah I was thinking that for a while, which is why I decided to write this. Yes, that makes absolute sense, I'm happy someone noticed!

rih: I'm glad you think so! Hope that answers your question about Akira. Expect more the next chapter*smirks evilly*

Terrabite: And there you have it Terrabite-san! The moment! As for her relationship with Go(I think that's what you meant, please correct me otherwise) its going to step up soon because of a certain pro who manages to piss our lovely Hikaru off;p

Guest: Thank you so much! Yes I'm working on the third chapter of it right now!

Mokina: I'm happy you do! Thank you, I think I may update weekly actually!

Alice: Alice-san, after I have translated your reviews(because my French is not very good) I was really, really happy! Something about getting a review in another language feels nice! Thank you so much, and I hope you look forward to the next continuation.

gaul1: Thanks for dropping a review! Will do! (The fact that this actually rhymes XD)

Just to clarify their ages: Hikaru, Akari, and Akira-17

Waya and Nase-18

Kawasaki and Isumi- 21

Shinobue: a traditional Japanese flute

Goukon: a mixer

Izakaya: It's basically a pub where many people go after work, also a common location for goukons

Oh, and I went with black hair for Akira since it is originally black in the manga, although I was a bit tempted to go with green and do the whole "Haku" thing. I'll also admit that the fact I think black looks better may have influenced this decision;)

I'll make sure to mention anything that needs more clarification, and don't hesitate to ask.

On a side note: who do you think died? ;p