After Hikaru and Akira made it back to Waya's on Tuesday, they all sat down, along with Isumi, to come up with a plan.

"We could go to an arcade!" Hikaru said.

"Shindou, there aren't very many girls at arcades, and if there are, they're normally gothic, not to be stereotypical or anything," Waya said.

"What about… hmm… we could go to the movies!"

"And how would you meet a girl there if you were busy watching a movie? You have to find the girl before you take her out."

"Right…."

"What about the mall?" Touya asked, surprising the others.

"Now, that's a good idea," Isumi said. "Lots of girls hang out at the mall."

"Yeah. Thanks, Akira. You're actually a big help," Hikaru said.

"Oh, thanks, Hikaru. That's a great compliment," Akira replied sarcastically.

"I didn't know you could be sarcastic," Waya said.

"Well, I can, so do we agree?"

"Sure," Hikaru said, and the other two nodded.

"You really are helpful, though," Isumi said.

"Well, as much as I don't want to be, I promised Hikaru I would," Akira responded.

"Wait, you don't want to help me?" Hikaru asked.

Akira then realized what he had said. "No, I mean, well… that's not what I meant…."

"What did you mean?" Waya asked. He had a feeling he knew, but wanted to get Akira to say it himself.

"I meant…" he sighed. "I'd really rather not tell you what I meant, actually."

"Come on, Akira. That's no fair!" Hikaru whined.

"It's perfectly fair. If I don't want to share my feelings, then I won't."

"Ah ha! Feelings about what, Touya?" Waya interrupted.

Akira blushed and looked down. He gritted his teeth, and decided to just say it. "I meant that I don't want to help… because I don't want you to fall in love with someone else. Okay? There, I said it. Interrogation time is over!" He got up and walked toward the door, avoiding Hikaru's questioning gaze. "Are we leaving or what?"

"Not quite yet, actually," Isumi said, looking at Waya.

"Yeah, so come back. We have something else to talk about," Waya said. Touya sighed and went back to his seat. "Okay. Now, Shindou, how do you interpret what Touya just said?"

"What? Oh…. Um… I dunno… I don't know what he meant. I mean, he doesn't want me to fall in love with someone else? Then who's the person who isn't the else?" Hikaru asked, clueless.

"Wow, Shindou, I congratulate you on your stupidity."

"Hey!"

"Well, it's really obvious. You're either dense or in denial," Isumi said. "No offense, of course."

"Hey! It's too late. And in denial about what?"

"Your own feelings, duh," Waya said.

Hikaru frowned and crossed his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Akira was just sitting in his seat next to Hikaru, fighting to keep the blush off his face. It wasn't helping that he was nearly pressed against the other boy on the couch.

"I mean, what are your feelings for Touya?" Hikaru looked at him, puzzled. Waya sighed.

"He means do you like Touya?" Isumi asked, and Akira couldn't keep the redness off his face. He crossed his arms over his legs and laid his forehead over them.

"Akira? Of course I do. We are friends," Hikaru said, still oblivious.

"Not like that! Do you like like him?" Hikaru looked back at Waya, confused.

Akira couldn't take this anymore. He could just feel the look on Hikaru's face. Fed up, he lifted his head and said, red faced, "They're trying to ask if you like me romantically!"

"…."

"…."

"WHAT?" Hikaru practically yelled.

Akira buried his face in his hands. "I told you guys he didn't! Can't you just listen to me for once?"

"Well, technically, he didn't say he doesn't…" Isumi said.

"I'm not gay, you guys!" Hikaru interrupted.

The three looked at him. "See?" Akira said, looking at Isumi, then Waya. His eyes looked empty, except for a great sadness, and the two could clearly see that he was heartbroken. "May I leave? I already gave you an idea, and you know I'm practically socially impaired, so I have no reason to stay any longer."

They looked at him sadly. "Okay, Touya, you can go," Isumi said. "We probably won't go today, anyway, since it's pouring and Shindou is soaked."

"Alright, but I trust you'll help him in my place for now."

"Of course. We'll contact you later about this, okay?"

"Very well. Goodbye." Akira turned around, but not before Isumi saw tears begin to run down his face.

"Ne, Akira, are you okay?" Hikaru asked, concerned. He hadn't seen the tears, but he noticed that his friend's voice sounded strange.

"Yes, I'll be fine." He continued to face towards the door, away from Hikaru.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Oh… Okay… Will we see you tomorrow?"

"I suppose it depends on how it goes today."

"Okay… Well, see you…" Hikaru said. He was sad to see his friend go.

"Bye," Akira replied. He had carefully placed his shoes so they would catch the tears falling off his face, so there would be no evidence of his crying in Waya's apartment. Even though the boy had just broken his heart, he did not want to worry Hikaru.

Now, as he took a step, a tear landed on the floor, and he quickly lifted his sleeve to wipe his face, so no more would fall to the ground.

Hikaru didn't notice the tear, but Waya and Isumi did. They sorrowfully watched him leave, knowing that he believed his chance to be completely nonexistent.

As Akira closed the door behind him, he stopped for a second to try do get his tears to stop. 'My tears are like a waterfall,' Akira thought. 'They won't stop.' Empty hearted, he continued walking until he was outside. For once he was grateful for the rain. No one would know he was crying. He then headed towards his house, not feeling any worse because of the dreary weather.

Back in the apartment, Isumi said, "Okay, so the plan is to meet here at three tomorrow and then go to the mall. School doesn't end for most kids until around then, so there won't be any girls your age until then."

"Right," Waya said.

"But I think Akira has a game then," Hikaru commented.

"But you heard him. He doesn't care to go anyway."

"He said he'd help, right?"

"Yeah, but he probably thinks he'll get in the way," Isumi said, knowing that that wasn't the full truth. Obviously, Touya would get upset if he had to watch Hikaru flirt with and possibly ask a girl out.

"Oh… okay…" Hikaru said.

"Hey, Shindou, you should probably head out soon before it rains any harder," Waya said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"But first, we have a question to ask you."

"What?"

"Have you ever liked anyone before? You know, so we can compare the girls we see."

"…No, I haven't, actually. At least, I don't think I have," Hikaru responded.

Waya frowned. "Then how do you know you aren't gay?"

"Because I've never liked guys either!"

"So? Maybe you just haven't met one you like? Or maybe you really are in denial."

"Am not."

"Shindou, you can't be sure," Isumi said. "Besides, I know a guy who really likes you."

Hikaru blushed a bit. "Who?"

"Not telling. It wouldn't be fair to him. Besides, if you don't know yet, you're pretty oblivious. That means there's no reason you'd realize your own feelings, either, right?" Hikaru just looked at him.

"Ne, Shindou? Earlier, when I saw you with Akira, you seemed pretty comfortable leaning on him and holding his hand," Waya commented.

Hikaru blushed. "Yeah, well… that's different."

"Different how?"

"I don't know. Just different. It doesn't feel the same when I do that to other people. But I don't like Akira that way."

"You blush a lot when he's around, or when you're asked about him, and you like holding his hand and being near him, and you like hearing him call you by your first name, yet you don't like him that way. Are you sure?" Isumi said. He knew Hikaru just wasn't understanding. Too bad the blonde and black-haired boy was so stubborn about some stuff.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, I have to go or Mom will worry. I told her I'd be back for dinner," Hikaru said, ending the conversation.

"Fine, then you'd better hurry," Waya said. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Shindou," Isumi said.

"Bye Isumi, bye Waya," Hikaru replied, standing up and heading for the door. He opened it and took a look at the rain, before sighing and leaving, closing the door behind him.

"Wow. I didn't know he was so dense," Waya said.

"I hate to say it, but I agree. It's obvious that Touya loves him, and equally obvious he has feelings for Touya," Isumi said. "If he'd just realize that, we wouldn't have to agree with all of this, we wouldn't have to waste this time, and no one would have to get so hurt. This has a really bad effect on Touya."

"Yeah. Normally, I'd say I didn't care, but the jerk was crying. Did you see his eyes before he left? They looked empty."

"Yeah. We have to do something about this. Let's play along for now, and when Shindou realizes he can't find any girls he likes at the mall, maybe he'll notice his feelings."

"I hope so, or this will be very difficult," Waya said, leaving back in his chair.

"Yeah, it will. But I don't think thinking about this will get us anywhere. Want to play another game?" Isumi asked.

"Sure. Let's play." They got out the Go board and stones, and started another game, trying to distract themselves from the reality of the situation.

Meanwhile, Akira arrived home, sopping wet. His mother saw him and went ballistic.

"Akira, why are you so soaked? Didn't you bring an umbrella?" Touya-san asked.

"Yes. I forgot about it," Akira replied.

"Well, here's a towel. Go change and dry off."

"Alright."

Then Touya-san noticed her son's eyes. "Akira, your eyes are red. Were you crying?" Akira looked down, ashamed of his actions. "Oh, honey, what happened?"

Akira looked up at her, the sadness in his eyes overwhelming. Noticing this, she gasped.

"Don't worry. I'll get over it," Akira said, trying to sound convincing. He doubted it was true, though.

"Akira, I'm sorry, but I can't say I believe that." She was clearly worried sick. "Tell me what happened."

"Well…" he tried to start.

"Hold on, I'm going to call your father in. You go change and then come back down." Touya-san went to call Kouyo to the living room.

Akira went upstairs to change, finding some nice slacks and a long sleeve shirt and sweater and putting them on, then laying his wet clothes out to dry. He used the towel to dry his hair, then brushed it and washed his face, trying to get rid of the evidence of his crying. He looked in the mirror, and, deciding he could do no more about it, headed downstairs.

"Akira, come into the living room. I made some hot tea," Touya-san said. Akira walked into the room and sat down on one of the cushions, looking down.

"Akira, look at me," Kouyo said. Akira looked up into his father's eyes, showing him the great sadness within. "What is wrong?"

"I… I was made painfully aware today that... Hikaru does not…" he trailed off. He was afraid to tell his parents that he was in love with another boy, afraid of how they would react.

"Does not return your feelings?" Touya-san offered, startling her son. Akira's head flew up. He looked at his mother, shocked.

"How did you…?"

"Akira, we've known for some time how you feel about Shindou-kun," Kouyo said.

Akira's eyes widened even more, if that was possible, as he looked at his father.

"But, are we correct?" Akira's mother asked.

"…Yes." Akira tried to withhold his tears, but they refused to listen, instead flowing down his face like rivers.

"Honey," Touya-san said, moving to hug her son close. He continued to cry on her shoulder. "It will get better. I promise." She herself had had multiple heartbreaks in her life, and had eventually found and married the love of her life and had a son. She knew it would get better, because her son would get over his crush and fall for someone else.

Akira just shook his head at the comment. "No, you don't understand. I… I love him," he got out. "And he… he doesn't like me that way, but he has to find someone else to love in six days or… or…" he couldn't finish.

"Or…?" Kouyo said, trying to help his son along.

"…Or he's going to die."

The two adult's eyes widened. "Akira, how do you know this?"

Akira lifted his head. "We were told by a ghost. Sai, to be more precise." He knew he could not lie to his parents.

"Sai told you?" Kouyo didn't seem very surprised. 'Did he know Sai was a ghost?' Akira thought. 'That would explain why he always sits in front of the Go oard with only one piece played, I suppose.'

"Yes. And Hikaru only has until Monday to live if he doesn't fall in love with someone who will risk their life for him. And… I promised I'd help him, no matter what."

Akira's parent's looked at their son, somewhat understanding how he must have been feeling. "So, you have to meet with him, soon?"

"Yes. Isumi said he'd tell me what he and Hikaru and Waya decided after I left. I assume they're going to the mall tomorrow. I have a game, but I told them I didn't need to go with them. I don't want to go with them. I'm not sure I could handle it." Akira's tears had finally stopped, but his eyes were bright red and felt dry. "I do hope he finds someone, though. I want him to live for a long time, whether I'm there or not…. But the person had better be willing to risk their life for him. Sai told us they would be put to the test, and could get hurt, badly, but neither would die if the person succeeded."

"Akira," his mother said, moving back. "Would you want to be this person? Even though you know they will probably get hurt? "

Akira looked up at her. "Of course," he said, certain. "I love him. I'd do anything for him." His eyes were now filled with determination.

Kouyo looked at his son. He was surprised he could feel such a way about another person at such a young age. He wasn't sure anymore that his son would get over Hikaru. "Akira, you know, sometimes a person's feelings can be changed. You look so determined now. It is right to help your friend in any way you can, but it is also right to try your best to make yourself happy."

Akira tried to smile at his father. "I know. I'll try."

His father smiled back, along with his mother. Somehow, they knew it would turn out alright.

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