If I Win
Based on The Mercer Sister's Your Most Prized Possession
Chapter Eight: What Shall I Call this Feeling?
It was another day for Hikaru as he made his way to the Institute. Today, his match was against Ogata 10-dan. Hikaru never really understood Ogata, he was just one of those people who was suspicious of his Go talent. It also didn't help that Ogata liked to raise piranhas.
The game started out with Ogata having the advantage, but slowly as it progressed, Hikaru pulled off a risky maneuver that resulted in Ogata losing to him by 2 moku. Hikaru was in a particularly good mood after that, despite Ogata's narrowed eyed glare that usually sent shivers down his spine.
On the way out, Hikaru bumped into Waya, and he invited him over to a café to play Go. As they stepped in, Hikaru noticed a familiar figure, and tried to hide himself behind Waya.
"Shindo! What's the matter with you? Stop hiding behind me damnit!" Waya said irritatingly.
"Shh! It's Touya over there!" Shindo whispered. Waya turned towards the direction of where Akira was. An evil glint could be seen in his eyes.
"Ohayo, Touya-kun!" Waya called over to him loudly. Hikaru shot him a glare.
"You did not just say that…" he started, but it was too late. Akira had spotted the pair of them and motioned them to sit at his table.
"Wow, I didn't know you liked to eat at this café too!" Waya said cheeringly.
"Yeah, well, I just recently discovered it. Plus, it was close to the Salon." Akira replies. Hikaru sat mutely.
"Shindo, is something the matter?" Akira asks.
"Yeah, Shindo, you haven't said anything since we went here." Waya chimed in.
"I-Iie, it's nothing." Hikaru mutters at last. Waya and Akira exchanged looks and shrugged.
"So Touya…would you like to play a game while we're eating? Loser has to pay for the winner's meal, ok?" Waya said, in an attempt to break the silence.
"Touya wouldn't play such games like that, Waya. Plus, you'll end up losing anyways." Hikaru cuts in teasingly.
"What? So you don't have faith in me, Shindo?" Waya protests lightly.
"After what we've been through?" Waya continues, grabbing Hikaru's hand, and gazing "deeply" into Hikaru's eyes.
"Ergh! Get off of me, Waya! You know how I hate that stuff! I'm straight damnit!" Hikaru cries. Waya winks.
"Sure, Shindo, I believe you…" he replies, grinning.
While this "exchange" was taking place, Akira was considering about the game. Technically it wasn't really gambling. He could take it as treating a meal to someone unwillingly.
"Sure." Akira replies. Hikaru's jaw drops.
"Whatever happened to not gambling?" he asked.
"Since when were you an expert on what games I do play, Shindo?" Akira retorts back, turning to Waya.
"Fine." he says, and Waya pulls out his magnetic Go board. Thus, the game begins.
30 minutes later….
Pachi!
Pachi!
Waya drops his head in recognition. He knew it was inevitable.
"I have lost." he said, bowing his head. Akira bows his head as well.
"Thank you for the game." he replies.
"See Waya, I knew you'd lose." Hikaru teases.
"Congratulations, Shindo. You've learned how to predict the future. Now let's see how long it takes for Fujisaki-san to forgive you." Waya mocks. Hikaru's grin grew even wider.
"As a matter of fact, she already has." he replies. Hearing this, Akira's heart kind of gave a lurch. 'What was that all about? What's this feeling I'm having?' he thought.
'You're jealous, that's what' a voice in his head responds.
'What! No, I'm not!' Akira protests to the voice.
'Ah, denial. The first step in love.' the voice continues.
'I am not in love.' Akira retorts.
'How would you know, you've never been in love.' the voice replies and begins to list out things.
'Sweaty palms. Unfocused thoughts. Palpitations of the heart in unnatural speed. Talking faster than usual with her. Constantly thinking about her…' the voice lists out.
'Stop it! I do not have any of these 'symptoms'' Akira protests.
'Believe what you want…Touya…Touya…Touya…' the voice echoes in his head.
"Touya…" Hikaru said. Akira's expression was glazed.
"Touya…" Hikaru says again, louder. Still, no response.
"TOUYA!" Hikaru shouts. This time, it finally worked.
"What? I'm here!" Akira replies, snapping out of his strange reverie and looking around. Hikaru and Waya stare at him.
"Man, you've been like out of it…anyways, we're leaving. Are you coming along?" Waya asks.
"What, to where?" Akira replies, puzzled.
"To my house for a Go discussion." Hikaru replies.
"Oh, er, ok…" Akira replies, eyes unfocused. Hikaru and Waya exchange another look.
"I think he's possessed…" Waya whispered, and Hikaru nodded in agreement.
At Hikaru's House…
"NO, you should have went there!" Hikaru cried out furiously.
"Oh yeah? Well you should have attached there! Your move sucked!" Akira retorted, equally as furious.
"Oh yeah? At least I didn't get my territory taken with my move!" Hikaru shouted.
In the midst of all this, Waya was unsuccessfully attempting to break the two apart, but to no avail.
Thump!
Hikaru and Akira stopped fighting at the unexpected sound.
"What the hell was that?" Hikaru said.
"I think it was something hitting against the wall." Akira replied.
"No, it wasn't…it was something being slammed onto a table." Hikaru countered.
"No, it was something hitting against the wall." Akira said. The two were on the verge of beginning another fight.
"WAYA, what do you think was the sound?" Hikaru and Akira asked at the same time, turning towards Waya. Waya gulped.
"M-me?" he squeaked out, afraid of their wraths. They began to close in on Waya.
"Er…I think it was neither…?" he said, unconvincingly.
"NO, it wasn't…it was MINES!" Hikaru and Akira said again. Then they faced each other.
"NO, it was MINES!" they yelled again.
"YOU-!" they said agitatedly again.
"STOP COPYING WHAT I'M SAYING!" they shouted again.
Thump!
"Hey, there's the sound again!" Hikaru cried out, but before Akira could respond, a new voice chimed in.
"SHINDO HIKARU!" a shrill voice cried out sharply. Hikaru gulped, and the trio looked out the window.
Meanwhile…
Akari was trying to complete her homework, which at the moment was an English essay, when her concentration was shattered by loud shouting noises. She growled in frustration, and opened her window. She noticed that Hikaru was shouting a lot, so she threw a rubber stress ball at this window's wall.
Thump! The rubber ball then bounced back to her.
The shouting stopped. Akari smiled to herself, satisfied. 'Finally, some peace and quiet', she thought. Within seconds, the shouting had resumed again. She frowned, irritated, and threw the ball again.
Thump! Then, she opened the window, and shouted Hikaru's name. Within moments, his two toned hair had popped out, with a brown-haired and dark green-haired figures beside him, peering out.
"I am trying to do my homework…for the last 2.5 hours…and do you know why I can't finish it?" she hissed dangerously, her eyes flashing.
"Um…I don't know?" Hikaru said nervously.
"It's because I keep hearing shouting noises…trailing back to your room…" Akari said, louder this time.
"W-what a coincidence?" Hikaru squeaked out.
"IT WAS NO COINCIDENCE, AND IF YOU DON'T LET ME FINISH MY HOMEWORK IN PEACE, THERE WILL BE DIRE CONSEQUENCES!" Akari shouted angrily. Hikaru cowered at the sound of her voice.
"Hai, hai…there won't be a next time…" he said, closing his ears to prevent them from popping. Akari, then noticed Waya and Akira behind Hikaru for the first time.
"Ohayo, Waya-kun and Touya-kun!" she said sweetly.
"I trust you will prevent Hikaru, here from yelling anymore right…?" she continued, only this time, her voice was laced with venom.
"Hai…of course we would…" Waya said nervously. Akira nodded.
"By the way, Fujisaki-san, what was that noise you produced?" Akira added.
"Oh that, it was just my rubber stress ball." she said carelessly. Akira shot a smirk at Hikaru, and mouthed, 'I told you so,'. He was rewarded with a glare. Then, Akari shut her window and resumed work.
"Scary…" Waya muttered as the three of them resumed their "discussion"
On the way back…
Thanks to Akari's lecture, they were finally able to get a real discussion going, and now, Akira was driving back to his home. He wasn't really concentrating on his driving, his mind more focused on his strange conversation that afternoon.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
He skidded his car to a halt. But it wasn't a rubber stress ball bouncing this time. This time, it was his own heart. He could just imagine that voice saying, 'Palpitations of the heart….' and he shook that thought out of his head. 'What shall I call this feeling…?' he thought.
A/N: Thank you so much to the people who reviewed, you have no idea how much that means to me. Also, check out my other side story, Upside Down, featuring Waya! Thanks again for reading If I Win, and please review!