Disclaimer: I don't own Hikaru no Go

CHAPTER TWO – TOUYA AKIRA

The teacher droned on and on about knowledge I knew I had no use for. I would be quitting after graduating middle school anyways. That was the sensible choice. Go was my life. But, then if Go was my life, then my life was awfully dull. Boring, with no goal in life… that was Go to me. I had no opponent. At least, none that could match my caliber. There was no one to call my rival. All the professionals Otou-san invited over were definitely better than my playing of the game, but I've always known that. Every game we play, every defeat at their hands… they don't matter to me.

Was there no one who could save me from this boredom? Would I never feel the sense of having a purpose? Just beating the opponent in front of me… it's not enough. It's such a short, meaningless goal. I longed for someone I could constantly play and not know who would win and who would lose. Someone who would satisfy this need for competition… Would I ever find him? Is there someone like that out there?

The bell rang, and I forced myself to grab my bag and walk to the outside of the school, where a car was waiting. I entered the car, schoolmates staring and pointing at the luxurious vehicle.

Right... they don't usually see these types of cars on their normal days… I must remind Otou-san to send a cheaper one…

My thoughts were absentminded, and my mind was somewhere away from me, but I dimly registered that most of the students here didn't know who my father was. He was just another name in everyday life. It was so different from the Go world, and I found a small comfort in the fact. But of course, I was the same. Though the fame my name held was considerably less, it was fame nonetheless. But it wasn't mine. It was my father's. It was my fate, not my right, as Touya Meijin's only child. Would I ever escape that destiny? Would I ever escape those chains that hold me down to my family?

Life… is it usually filled with questions like mine? Or am I just special? Special… they always told me that when my lack of close friends at school was revealed to my family and Go pros. But I knew the truth. I wasn't special. I was abnormal. I didn't belong at school, near kids my age who had a normal life, one not filled with a board game. I loved the game, sure… but the trouble it gave me… sometimes, I felt it wasn't worth it.

But I didn't fit into the Go world either. I had enough skill, but I wasn't an insei, nor was I a pro. In most aspects of the word, I was an amateur. And in any pro universe, amateurs didn't have a chance. Those suicidal you hear about – they were lucky. No, I don't want to die, but the feeling that you have nothing to live for and the feeling of so much freedom that you can just die without anything holding you back… they were something I would never have.

"Where are we going?" I asked the driver quietly. There was no reason for Otou-san to send a car except for some important event which required my attendance.

"Social gathering; your mother requested your presence."

Oh? So it was Okaa-san who sent the car?

"She also told me to inform you that your father will be taking in two boys. Their guardian was an old schoolmate of him before he died."

"I see…"

… Wait, what?

My mind having finally registered what he had said, I quickly and calmly, of course, dialed my mother's cell phone. I suppose I should have tried to gather myself before talking to her.

"What are you thinking!?" Perhaps I wasn't as calm as I thought. "How can we take in two strange kids? I thought we were trying to…" I restrained myself from continuing. Taking a deep breath, I tried to look at the situation from an unbiased point of view. On one hand, two kids I didn't know would enter my home and possibly discover my secret. On the other, they might not find out at all, and I have nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, I would have to befriend or kick them out in either situation. And of course, neither was a skill I excelled at.

The car slowed to a stop at a large… house? I wasn't really sure what it was, but it was certainly big. My mother was outside, socializing with others. I had absolutely no idea where my father could be, but if this place had a Go board…

I stepped out, but no one noticed me. It was certainly a refreshing feeling, to be near high class people and not be immediately recognized as "Touya Meijin's son".

But I still didn't want to be there. I absolutely detested social parties, though I was forced to endure them. Why my mother insisted on my presence, I would never know. But today, I was just too tired to deal with the annoying, and idle, people. They would only make me collapse by the time the party was over. Fortunately, I always prepared for these situations, and everything I needed was in my schoolbag. I hid in a small corner and quickly changed into more comfortable clothes, more suited for someone like me.

Nobody had noticed me yet, so I quickly ran away, making sure not to forget anything. After traveling a few blocks, I reached my destination: my father's Go salon. It was always relaxing to play a game of Shidougo with the people there, though some of them worshipped me a little too much. I wasn't here for that reason today. I highly doubted anyone would realize who I was anyway.

I entered the quiet little salon to see Harumi behind the counter. She noticed me immediately and started slightly in surprise.

"Oh! Are you here to play? The fee is 500 yen." I smiled amiably and paid her, not really minding where my money went; it was probably part of her salary. I found an empty board and started to recreate a game almost automatically. My mind was somewhere else, thinking about how to deal with the recently revealed situation that my parents suddenly created.

How am I going to keep the truth hidden? I could ban them from my room… no, that's too childish. Besides, they would think me odd.

"Excuse me?" A voice on my right addressed me. "That's an interesting game you've recreated." I turned toward the source to see a boy about my age looking intensely at the Go board. Not aware what game I had drawn out of my mind, I took a quick look at where my hands were. I immediately recognized both the move and the match.

"Ah, this is a game I played online. I was black. It ended early though, because apparently my opponent had something come up before we could finish. We were pretty evenly matched though," I remarked to the boy. He nodded absently before moving his hand to a spot on the board.

"But if you had played your hand here, wouldn't the move force your opponent to defend that group?" I looked at the point. It was certainly a good hand, but easy to counter. I shook my head and moved my own hand to another point.

"Then he could have countered here, leaving me open for attack. I would have been in serious trouble at that point." The boy frowned before pointing to various spots on the board.

"If you protected this group here, it would still leave you open, but the opponent also has no choice but to place his stone there. From then on, you could set a trap to force your opponent to move where you want him to." An interesting idea. Unconsciously, I had started to place white stones at where I would have gone had I been my opponent, and the boy started putting down black while still explaining his moves, as if he were me. Soon, it had turned into a sort of game. One of us would play a hand and explain why we put it there, while the other would listen carefully and before placing a stone, also explaining the move. I don't know what had happened… but I felt that for the first time, I wasn't burdened by Go.

Before either of us had realized it, we had played out the whole game. Almost instinctively, we arranged our stones into squares and counted our territory.

"Hm… white wins with a 3 moku difference," I noted. The boy glance at the clock hanging on the wall, as did I.

"Oh, I should be leaving!" I exclaimed as I realized the party would almost be over by now. I shot out of my chair, and then turned my head back to the boy, who was getting up to leave as well. "By the way, what's your name?" I bit my lip as soon as the words left my mouth. Immediately, I regretted asking the question, for the boy would expect me to reciprocate if he answered.

"Shindo Hikaru. And yours?"

What should I say? He doesn't seem very knowledgeable about the Go world… but what if he finds out later?

"Suzuki Amaya," I lied fluidly, using the reversed family name of an old classmate. Before the conversation could be continued, I sped out of the salon and ran the whole distance to the party. I arrived at the front gate, panting. Changing in a mostly hidden space behind a large bush, I slung my schoolbag across my shoulder and entered the party. Contrary to my thoughts, the gathering was far from over.

"… And here, Touya-sensei has played a beautiful hand, totally cutting off his opponent's attack!"

So this is just an event to showcase Otou-san's skills… of course.

"Akira!" My mother exclaimed as she caught sight of me. "Where have you been?" I felt rather uncomfortable, and wasn't exactly inclined to answer her question. I mumble an incoherent answer and made an excuse about fresh air. I darted out to the empty veranda.

I should have come here later… Hm? What's that little boy doing here?

A young boy, looking to be no older than 5, sat against a wall, crying. Looking around to see if anyone was around, I headed toward him.

"Are you lost?" I asked him in a soft voice, though the answer was obvious. He looked up at me with puffy red eyes and sniffled. My natural instinct was to hug him, but I resisted the urge.

"Onii-chan told me to meet him if I ever got lost…" he mumbled, obviously scared. My guess was that he had misinterpreted any directions his brother had given him.

"Where were you supposed to meet him?"

Maybe it's near here…

His face scrunched up in such a manner it looked almost as if it hurt for him to try to remember. Though I don't think I've experienced the sensation before…

"A park," he answered.

Well, if that's all he can remember… let's see… there is a park about half a block from here…

"How about I take you there?" I offered after some thought. The boy wouldn't be able to navigate himself there, based on the fact that he ended up lost in the first place. As we were walking, he chattered away as if he had no care in the world, telling me about his brother. Apparently, their parents had died in a plane accident. He had been under the care of the neighbors, and his brother had been living with their grandfather's friend. But from the information he gave me, it seemed that he had only known his older brother recently, though it was obvious he adored him.

Hm? Oh, the lights are broken here…

The young boy immediately balked and stood stone still. Realizing the child was afraid, I slowly coerced him to at least come to where I was. Eventually, he started walking at a snail's pace next to me, looking around fearfully. I was patient, and matched his small steps, talking to him to try and distract him. It wasn't very effective, though, and when a dog barked, he jumped in fear and surprise and grabbed my hand. However, with this action, he seemed to calm down greatly.

It must be the fact that it's proof I'm here…

We finally entered a street where the lamps were fully lit, and he let go of my hand. I spotted the park not too far, about a minute walk.

"Onii-chan!" the boy exclaimed. I could see a figure waiting in the park. The boy ran, and then seemed to remember his manners and turned around to face me.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Onee-chan!" I froze in surprise. He waved and ran toward his brother. I stared at the spot where he had been standing, amazed. He had seen through my disguise.

I guess you really can't fool a child…

A/N: I want to make this clear. This is by absolutely no means a romance. I might be planning some later on, but it is certainly not a main theme here. Any romance in this story will be minimal. Though, I'm probably gonna sneak a hint into the story once in a while...