"Waya, you should just stop," Isumi frowned, following his friend. He just about slammed the door to his apartment, but upon hearing those words, he caught it and peaked out of it. "Stop what?"

Isumi scratched his head. He hesitated and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly in a calm sigh and looked at his friend seriously. "Do you really want to go out with Toya-san, Waya?"

Waya blinked. "Of course I do." He walked further inside, but left the door open for Isumi to follow, which he did.

"Why?" Isumi asked as he slipped off his shoes.

Waya plopped down in front of his goban. "It's not that easy finding another gay guy in Japan, you know. Especially one in the same profession. I can't be too picky, ya know?" Waya asked, but he knew Isumi didn't know, because Isumi liked women. Or at least that's what Waya thought. But Isumi liked Waya. So there was a perfectly fine gay guy in Japan that was in the same profession as him, and he was standing right in front of him. Yet Waya didn't see it.

"But you can't," Isumi pressed. He knew he wouldn't want to date Toya, he rubbed him the wrong way, and besides, do you know how pissed Morishita-sensei would be?

Waya frowned at Isumi and narrowed his eyes. "And why the hell not?"

Isumi was at a loss for words. Should he confess? Should he think of another reason not to? Then, like a genius, he blurted out, "Let's go to China!"

Waya blinked. "What?!"

"You heard me!" He plopped down on the other side of the go board. Not to play, but so he would look at him. And, the place was a little small. "Remember? We promised we'd go to China and study together at the Hokuto Cup. You have the money now, so why don't we go now?"

Waya gulped and straightened the bowels of stones on top of his goban nervously. "Well, I dunno..." He sighed. "This is so sudden, Shin!"

"You just forgot!" Isumi pressed Waya's buttons. He frowned.

"No! It's just.." He groaned and slammed his fists against the wood. "I'm not good enough yet, Isumi!"

Isumi stared at Waya. "What do you mean?"

"At go! I'll never get better than Hikaru, much less Toya! I can't study in China when I'm this bad!" He answered, frustrated.

"You're not bad!" Isumi assured him. "You're just a little slower at progressing!"

He frowned. "Shindo became a pro less than two years after he started playing!"

Isumi sighed. "Oh, come on, that's not fair! Shindo was a really fast learner! And Toya started playing when he was in diapers! You can't compare yourself to them!"

Waya sighed and hung his head in his hands. "Still."

"We're going to China, Waya. C'mon, pleeeease? It'll help you!"

"You just want me to stand side by side next to that Le Ping guy!"

Isumi couldn't deny that. "It's for go study!"

(Past)

"Yo," Yashiro pushed himself into Hikaru's home. Hikaru didn't mind, even though he had never been there and sort of just came in. "Nice place, Shindo. Your mom here?" He added in a lower tone, "Is she hot?"

Hikaru laughed and pushed him playfully, but still kinda hard. "Cut it out." He started to head upstairs, then figured he should ask if he wanted anything to drink. "You want some tea or something?" He asked.

Yahshiro shrugged and looked around, slipping off his shoes, since even though he invited himself in he didn't dare go any further than where he stood without taking off his shoes. "Naw, I think I'm good, thanks. Where's Toya?" He asked.

Hikaru shrugged. "I think said he had an emergency study group or something, pretty sure he was just blowing us off," he laughed.

Yashiro stretched and yawned as Hikaru went back into his kitchen to get himself a drink. "How'd you do at the Young Lion's Tournament?" He asked, since it only happened two weeks ago. Hikaru had made it to his second round, playing an easy but really potential filled fifth grade insei the first. Then he lost to Toya. He was close, but Toya was on a roll at the Young Lion's and didn't intent to let Hikaru slip through so easily.

He grabbed himself a soda. "Lost, sadly. Due to Toya, yet again," he laughed a bit.

"Damn, that Toya!" Yashiro cackled. "Though, he has a soft spot for you, doesn't he?"

Hikaru blinked and looked at Yashiro. "What? No way. We scream at each other all the time." He quickly dismissed it.

"Nuh uh, bro. You don't see it, do you?"

Hikaru frowned and started heading up stairs, Yashiro right behind him. "See what? How annoying he thinks I am?" Yashiro just laughed as they entered the room.

"Yo, Shindo, can I ask you somethin'? Ya know, bro to bro?"

Hikaru blinked and him and sat down in front of his goban. "Lay it on me, home slice."He answered as he popped open and took a sip of his drink, trying and failing miserably to meet the demands of Yashiro's lingo.

"You gay?" Hikaru nearly did a spit take. "Ya know, just c'rious," Yashiro said.

Hikaru swallowed carefully and regained his composure. He was about to shout no but he wasn't sure if that was completely true. "I've never really thought about it, why?" He answered vaguely. In reality, it was a bit difficult to explore your sexuality when you had a ghost companion not only breathing down your throat all the time but always insisted to play go.

Yashiro scratched his head. "Oh. Well," He walked over and sat on the other side of his board. "I just thought you might be, s'all,"

Hikaru frowned. "Why?" Did he seem gay? Did he give off a gay vibe?

Yashiro shrugged. "Well, I guess I'll just say it. I gotta hunch that Toya hassa thing for you."

He sputtered, and then finished off his awkward respond with a scoff. "What? Wh...Why would you think that?" Hikaru asked. Why, why, why. That was all he could say. To be honest, it wasn't the first time he considered something between he and Akira. But he never thought of anything serious. Hikaru had to be ADHD, no matter what he's mother said, but he thought about the weirdest scenerios, like those. But they were all in fun, and meant nothing.

Eventually he got back to reality and luckily didn't miss Yashiro's response. "Well, I thought he acted weird towards ya before, but I never said nothin'. I thought he was just partial towards you, 'cause you're his rival or whateves, but then I asked if he was gay and he didn't even deny it, dude. He was all like, 'Ah, yes. Is there a reason as to why you're asking?' All polite and shit like he does. So I dunno, I thought he might, okay? I just got a feelin'."

"You just got a feeling that my eternal rival wants to fuck me?" Hikaru asked, astonished, with wide eyes.

"Hey! I never said that! I was just seein', since, like, he's gay. I wanted to know if you was gay. Because you guys seem like a cute couple." He cackled.

"Shut up. Just choose for color, asshole."

In the next few days Hikaru decided to see if that was true.

Damn you, Yashiro. Why would Toya think about Hikaru that way ever? But now, no matter how Toya's feelings were to him, it didn't stop Hikaru's brain from thinking of him with those sort of ideals in mind and... Well, quite frankly, it was a new thing to jerk off to. He never really fantasized like that before when he did it, but he, um, kinda liked it when he thought of Toya. Yashiro, what the hell?! Getting these weird thoughts in his head.

But Hikaru couldn't just go up to his rival and say, "Hey, do you wanna fuck me?" Because even if he did he didn't see that strategy working out well for either of them. He'd probably end up getting fucked in the bathroom in Toya's go salon. Which wouldn't be the best way to start out a new relationship, no matter how many yaoi mangas had that exact plot line. So he decided to start out simple. He was gonna ask Toya if he was actually gay.

Which totally would've worked if he didn't completely forget about it while he was at his salon.

Akira was already walking out the door, talking on the phone as Hikaru stared at the game Toya totally creamed him in, which made him angry because he should've totally been able to beat Toya, since he almost defeated Yong Ha at the Hokuto Cup a few weeks ago, and ohmigod what the hell Hikaru, TOYA'S GETTING AWAY!

So he ran outside quickly without putting his stones away to catch up with the bob haired idiot. "Hey! Toya!"

Akira paused a moment to turn around and see Hikaru, at which he offered a sweet smile and a wave, then turned and continued walking. Damn. Hikaru caught up and tailed behind Akira, at least until he was off the phone. With Ogata, I think? Or maybe Yashiro... Shit! Was Yashiro telling Toya Hikaru was gay and that he had a thing for him too? What that his plan to set them up? After a moment, Hikaru found that it was Yashiro, but was surprised at the conversation taking place.

"No, no, no- Wouldn't it be better to clutch? And then a knight's move at 11-16... Yeah, see? Yashiro, you- Oh, shut up." He paused a moment to laugh, which for some reason was making Hikaru's stomach burn with jealously, but then, Akira added with a lower tone, "Yeah, okay- I told you I was gay, but I'm not that gay. But please just-" But Akira was interrupted by Hikaru deciding to blurt something out in astonishment.

"You're gay, Toya?!"

Akira stopped in his tracks. He turned his head, looking at Hikaru in horror, which he had much of a right to do. Akira didn't know Yashiro had spilled it to Hikaru, and Akira never had any intention of telling Hikaru his sexuality. It would ruin their relationship. What if he thought Akira liked him? And then pushed him away out of not feeling the same? He couldn't jeopardize their friendship like that, Hikaru meant too much to Akira. But now he might as well been wearing a sign that said Hey, I'm a homo! Dammit Yashiro. And so he hung up the phone on that nosy bastard and was at a loss of words to say to Hikaru.

Eventually he realized he probably looked like an idiot, calmly collected his thoughts by taking a deep breath, and turned his body towards Hikaru as well, deciding it was best to just keep his composure. "Uh, yes." He said softly. Any louder and his voice would've cracked. Akira could feel his face betray him by the blood rushing to his cheeks as Hikaru took a step closer to Akira. He was going to die, he knew it. This was what was going to kill him, Hikaru Shindo. And it was ultimately Yashiro's fault for putting himself in such a position. He made him play a bad move, now he needed to find out how he was to win.

"How come you didn't tell me?" Hikaru frowned.

Akira swallowed hard and crossed his arms, saying a bit indefinitely, "It's not really any of your business." He always thought, even if a situation were to present itself where Hikaru full out asked him if he was gay, he would be vague and might even lie about it. Those were the lengths he would go to keep his feelings for Hikaru a secret.

Hikaru frowned. "Why not? You don't trust me?"

Slash. He cut him. Akira blinked up at him, again, a loss of words. "I...I thought you'd reject me..." Oh shit. This was coming out wrong. "...A-As your friend, I mean..." he told half the truth. "I-I have to leave, sorry, I'll see you later!" He turned and started walking. Right there his voice seriously cracked. Why couldn't Akira just stop embarrassing himself?

Hikaru blinked at his fleeting body. I thought you'd reject me...As you friend. Toya didn't really think that, did he? No matter how straight or gay either of them was he would still want to be friends, not to mention rivals. Hikaru ran after Akira and grabbed his shoulder from behind, which might not have been a good idea, since he flinched hard and turned his head back towards Hikaru. He lowered his hand.

I won't reject you as a friend. But I want to be more than friends, he wanted to say. But all that came out was, "I'm not gonna judge you 'cause your gay, Toya. It's not like you can change it." He scratched his head awkwardly, hoping he wouldn't try to get away from him this time.

That last sentence seemed to rub Toya the right way. After a moment he smiled softly. "Right," that face was enough to fill Hikaru's fantasies for a week, maybe more.

"Can we play another game?" Hikaru asked. Akira sighed.

He ran a hand through his hair. A long fingered, callused hand through his dark, lush hair. He seemed to do that a lot, didn't he? "I do actually have to leave, Shindo. Maybe tomorrow. If you'll excuse me.." he waved a bit and turned. Then he left.

Phase one complete, Hikaru thought. Now he just needed to win him over with more warm-smile provoking sentences and maybe eventually they could fuck like in yaoi manga. Well... he still wasn't sure how he felt about Toya. It was more than friendship, more than rivalry, definitely, but was what was it? And why was it to easy to masturbate to? He had to figure it out or he was going to explode with sexual frustration. And all because of Yashiro. Damn him.