Hello! My dear readers! I thought I had a writer's block but as you can see, I can still write a new chapter, much to my relieve.

Not much about this chapter except for that I think some vocab explanation would be good for those of you who rarely read manga.

Obocchama = young master

-Sama = honorific used following name/last name. The term can be used to express a high respect for the person (business settings) such as the time when a company worker talks to a customer or can be used comically/ fancifully by the girls to address the boys they have hopelessly fallen for.

I tried to be more detailing about my writing as I go deeper into my fic. I hope I can write faster and still presenting you quality works. Pls cheer me on

~0~0~Reviews~0~0~

reesessweetie I cant deny that I've thought about moving them both to Kyoto but that would create quite a conflict in later chapters so...they will have to part for now.

Actually Akira knew that the one he was playing was Hikaru (it was our ever so dense Hikaru that didnt remember who his opponent was) but that part is my fault for not making it clear for you readers thus I'm trying my best to put more details into each chapters as we go on. No more implying (if I could help it).

I'm really excited to write about Yashiro too. He might be a bit OOC in this chapter but well, I plan to make him grow into his original personality, one way or another. And I also pray for Hikaru not to change too much although I doubt you'd hate him in my fic, if he ever change.

Kanrei Nooo, Touya didnt make it. I cant have the two brothers run away from home either since it seems too unrealistic. Sai just turned pro for a few months, if anything, he was about to enter prelims for title matches. So he should still earn some money for old oteai system but it shouldnt pay a lot to cover living expense of the two brothers.

Infinitechange Thank you for your review:D Come say hello again!

Yuu I was intended to write it that way but I'd hate to see the brotherly love ruined over some matter that can be dealt with. It's hard to give up your dream but is it worth sacrificing the one you love the most? Some ppl out there would choose their dreams but not the Hikaru in my fic :D

Anonymous Will you count me as a sadist if I tell you I'm really happy that you cried :D Seriously I do

Now it's time for my chitchat to end. Hope you enjoy this chapter. and thanks for every reviews, favs, and follows. See you again next chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Hikaru no Go

After three months of intensive training (or as Hikaru had despitefully called cultural cramming program) in Kyoto, the seven year old felt he had learnt too many useless skills in addition of getting a whole bunch of make believe aristocratic kids as his friends. It was the most frustrating three months in Hikaru's life. Not to mention that his grandparents made him so busy he didn't even get to touch a Go stone even once, safe for the time when he slept.

But that uninteresting, stuck up way of life would be ending as of today! Hikaru never imagined himself counting down the day that he would be back to school (or in this case, going to a new school). If he was his old self, he would probably be whining in bed, playing tug of war with Sai using his blanket as a medium all the while yelling at his brother for interrupting his sleep. Living with his Kyoto grandparents led him to have quite a technophobia lifestyle. That meant no television, no computer, no video games, and even no toaster! At the lack of his usual milk and toast-to-go breakfast, he had to wake up much earlier in the morning in order to have the first meal of the day, properly at the table. Hikaru was grateful that someone up there had decided to introduced microwave and refrigerator to the Fujiwara elders or else he might see the need to take a cooking (from scratch) class at the sensitive age of seven.

Only one thing that ruined his happy moment on this much anticipated morning, his grandparents had stubbornly assigned his personal caretaker to follow him on his way to school.

"Alright, I get it. My grandparents are freaking out because it's my first day to my new school. They are paranoid that I might get lost so they send YOU after me. But that doesn't mean you should carry my school bag for me too!" Hikaru screamed at the top of his lung at the man who had been following behind him since he left Fujiwara's manor.

"Obocchama, please mind your language. We're in the middle of the street. If someone who know you happened to hear what you've just said, they might talk that the Fujiwara didn't teach you proper manners."

Hikaru felt his vein had just popped up on his forehead. Ever since he arrived in Kyoto, his grandparents' servants always created some polite and subtle way to insult him.

"Like I give a damn about what people says about you lot. Give the bag here!" he demanded in annoyance. The man in his twenties reluctantly handed the bag to his young master but he still trailed after Hikaru though the boy had tried his worst to shoo him away. While Hikaru was considering running away from his personal stalker, his eyes accidentally caught on a gloomy looking boy who was walking on the other side of the street. He remembered seeing the boy passed by the manor a few times during summer break but they had never been introduced to each other, neither had they attended any cultural classes together during the three months that Hikaru started his training in this city.

"Look, that guy is one of my friends from the summer classes. We go to the same school. Now, leave me" Hikaru ran off to the other side of the street where the boy stood watching him in surprise. His follower looked as if he was about to protest but eventually gave up as Hikaru took the other boy by his arm and bolted off in the direction of his school. The boy obediently ran after him but once they were half a block away from their previous location, the boy had finally plunged out of his stupor and jerked his arm back from Hikaru's grasp.

"What are you doing?" The boy frowned as he stared angrily at Hikaru. Oh, boy, he seemed unfriendly. But Hikaru knew that he was the one to blame.

"Oh, sorry, I think this is not the way to your school," He winced awkwardly

"Never mind that, who are you?" The grumpy boy looked strait into Hikaru's eyes. The intensity in this boy's gaze reminded Hikaru of the eyes of the Go players back in Tokyo. He felt he had just taken a liking to this boy based solely from his stare.

"I'm Fujiwara Hikaru. I go to Ritsumeikan primary. Sorry to drag you down all the way here with me, I just needed to get away from that guy."

The boy didn't say anything back as he sneaked a studious glance on Hikaru. The primary school Hikaru had mentioned was a prestigious private school in Kyoto. And honestly, the over-energetic boy in front of him didn't look like he could belong there.

"Glad I could help. If you were being threatened for money, it'd be even worse once you get to wear your school uniform. Those kids are all filthy rich after all," the boy said. His lips pressed thinly together as he narrowed his eyes at the view of the approaching building. Hikaru looked at him quizzically but decided that asking the boy any question at the time would be a bad idea, so he kept quiet and waited for the boy to speak.

"By the way, welcome to Ritsumeikan. I'm Yashiro Kiyoharu, 1st grader from Momiji house. Nice to meet you,"

~o0O0o~

Hikaru stood beside his new homeroom teacher in front of the whole new class. His eyes scanned through the room as he mentally counted the faces he had known during his summer training period. Hikaru was somewhat surprised that he had already befriended more than half of them. Although he was relieved that he didn't have to put a great amount of effort in the 'making friend department', the feeling he had in his gut didn't seem to be a pleasant one.

"I'm Fujiwara Hikaru. I transferred from Tokyo a few months ago. Please take care of me" Hikaru bowed gracefully to his new classmates. All of them erupted into cheerful greetings, all except one boy whose seat was next by the window far in the back of the room. Hikaru's eyes lit up excitedly when the said boy turned and nodded curtly at him but his enthusiasm had ended abruptly when his teacher directed him to the seat next to the girl who he had been introduced to at the beginning of his tea ceremony summer course. The girl was always keened on adding an honorific '-sama' to his name regardless of how obvious he seemed to dislike the use of it. His other neighbor was a snobbish boy who snorted at him every time some classmate had given Hikaru an attention, even though the boy didn't openly act hostile towards him when other students were looking.

'And here I thought I could get away from these pretenders when I'm at school' Hikaru mused hopelessly as he lowered himself onto his chair, getting ready for the first period in his new school.

~o0O0o~

"Fujiwara kun, if you don't mind sitting with us during lunch, we can help introduce you to everyone in the house." the young Yashiro stole a quick glance at the weird boy who he met on his way to school. It appeared to him that his suspicion about the boy being one of the 'rich kids' was confirmed. Although he noted that Hikaru seemed like a nice guy to hang out with, his attitude might change very soon when the new boy had adapted to the circle of aristocratic children in this school. After all, his status as the young master of Fujiwara had already established him as one of the most elite student standings from Kyoto's notable family. In this school where fame and social status were encouraged, children of his kind were the most important figures in promoting school's publicity.

"Oh, I'd love that. But I want to have a chat with someone I know first. I'll be joining you later." Hikaru said with a dashing smile on his face like a role model student should have. Yashiro, who was watching the whole charade as Hikaru approached him, inwardly rolled his eyes.

"So I heard you're called Yashiro. Can I call you Kiyoharu?" Yashiro frowned slightly at Hikaru's sudden closeness. For someone in this class asking his permission to call him on a first name basis was an event that had never happened before and he certainly didn't expect the phrase to come from the class's new star.

"No, I'd prefer we stay on the last name basis, if you don't mind," he replied indifferently.

Hikaru went quiet for a moment. It didn't seem like he was offended by Yashiro's straightforwardness but more likely from a pure surprise. He stared at the boy with his innocent rounded eyes for seconds more before his lips broke into a wide grin.

"Say Kiyoharu, why don't you join us for lunch? After all, I think the more the merrier." The boy grinned at him.

"Haven't you heard what those kids say about me? Wouldn't you rather enjoy your meal with your royal friends than spending break time with a poor student?" Yashiro said. His face was stoic and indifferent but Hikaru sensed loneliness seeped out from him. The very emotion that they had secretly shared between themselves which unknowingly had made them two kindred souls. Hikaru shrugged nonchalantly as he kept on bothering his new classmate.

"I don't know what is wrong with being a scholarship student. But if you really want my say in this, I'll say it's awesome. It means you are good at something so they pay for you to study here, isn't it?" Hikaru gave him an arrogant smirk which Yashiro found strangely provoking.

"So what if you think of me that way? They still won't see me as their equal."

"Really?" Hikaru pursed his lips as he shot a cold glance in the said group's direction, making his 'friends' squirmed uncomfortably. "If that's the case, then I guess you don't mind if I sit with you for lunch." He suddenly plopped onto the window sill next to Yashiro's seat, ignoring the boy's protest.

"What are you doing? They'll give you a cold shoulder for hanging out with me." Yashiro hissed. His eyes widened as he saw everyone in the class was giving him their most dirty looks. This filthy rich young master was bringing him the greatest misfortune of his school life and here he was, sitting lazily by his seat, eating his lunch like he couldn't feel the dagger glares throwing in their way.

"That sounds great. They'll finally leave me alone." Yashiro wondered if Hikaru had intentionally said that for his entire classmate to hear because he was sure everyone in their class that didn't have hearing problem could hear him without having to strain their ears to listen in. It would turn into a chaos by now if the one saying that line was Yashiro but since it was Hikaru, he could see that his classmates were trying their best pretending not to hear what the young prince had just said. Yashiro didn't dare to say anything further as the boy might turn his words into some mild insult towards his classmates and that'd surely result in him being the one to take the blame since he doubted any students would dare to point their fingers at the young master. The entire class spent their lunch time eating in silence.

~o0O0o~

"That foul mouth new kid thinks he is above everyone because he has his grandparents on his side." Ayabe Yoriyuki growled as he finished his afternoon class. His two henchmen were nodding frantically along with his statement. Prior to the new kid's arrival, he was the one student whose status was on the top of the class. His family, although not an old name that had held century long record like the Fujiwara, was a respectful household. His mother's family owned a wagashi shop that could rival Fujiwara's generation business in terms of its age old history. It was a shame that his mother chose to marry into his father's family thus eliminated him from the direct line of successor. But at least his father was a respectable Go professional. Ayabe believed that one of these days, his father would enter the title league and swept the Go world by storm. He was even featured in Go weekly on the last issue that he was one of the most promising Kansai pros of his age and this very capable pro was teaching him and his brother who was currently an insei in Kansai ki-in, how to play Go.

"What do we have for our cultural study period?" Ayabe directed his question to his right where his chubby follower stood. The other boy shoved his hand into his pant pocket and drew out a piece of paper "It's Go" he replied

Ayabe smirked as his mischievous plan began to take shape inside his head. "Well, I think someone should teach him a lesson so he'd finally know his own place." The skinny boy on his left nervously waved his hands in disagreement "But if you pick on Fujiwara, you'll get into trouble with his grandparents."

"Who says I will pick on him?" Ayabe chuckled with a gleam in his eyes while gazing at the passing Yashiro.

~o0O0o~

"But I don't understand. How would challenging Yashiro affect Fujiwara?"

"Use your brain! Fujiwara was the one befriending him. If people see how unworthy Yashiro is to him, Fujiwara will have no choice but tossing Yashiro away. But if he is still stubborn about hanging out with that guy, well everyone would talk that he was degrading himself. He'd finally be cast out just like his new friend"

Hayakawa Ikuko was about to turn the corner when she overheard the conversation. It wasn't in her nature to eavesdrop but she couldn't help hearing it since the three guys had been plotting their plan in the middle of corridor. She was determined to go to her Fujiwara-sama and tell him about what she heard but then her feet were halted. She wasn't sure how he'd react to her story given the chance that he wouldn't start running away as soon as he saw her face. It was also very unlikely that Fujiwara-sama would know how to play Go, and even if he knew he wouldn't stand a chance against Ayabe who had been trained by his professional father since the time he learnt how to walk. Only one last option left…

'I have to take him away before they start playing, and keep Yashiro-kun from him after that' she mused as she entered the classroom. Her eyes widened as she saw a Go pro from Kansai ki-in was already standing in front of the class, preparing for her lesson. Her gaze strayed to the three pranksters who snickered quietly before she turned her attention to her prince who was waiting for class to begin at his desk.

"Sensei, my stomach hurts. Can I go to the infirmary office?" Hayakawa clenched on her stomach, putting on the most painful face she could picture herself in. God, she believed she deserved a Japanese academy award after this acting, if there was one.

The Go pro looked worried as she put down her handouts "Oh my, I'll go with you."

"No! Er…, I'll have Fujiwara-sama to help me." she suddenly blurted out. Hikaru, who was sitting in his seat and boring his mind to the core, was suddenly yanked and dragged out of the classroom by his least favorite classmate. He was still in a daze when she threw him onto one of infirmary beds.

"Hey! You don't even look sick to me. Why are you dragging me down here anyway?" Hikaru was mildly irritated at loosing the chance to touch Go stones. He was about to bolt out the door when Hayakawa suddenly grabbed his arm.

"You can't go. Those three were planning to pick on you in the class."

"What are you talking about? Who is picking on whom?" Hikaru was now openly frustrated.

"Ayabe and his gang. He wants you to loose face for hanging out with Yashiro-kun. So Ayabe-kun decided he'd wipe the board with Yashiro-kun in cultural class." she pleaded him with her most convincing puppy eyes but it had little effect on the fuming young master.

"That's ridiculous! How are they going to make me loose face if the one they are playing against is Kiyoharu?"

Hayakawa decided to tell him about what she had heard on her way back to the classroom. By the time she had finished, it was around half an hour into the period. Hikaru bit his lips as he suppressed his boiling anger, his hands pulled on the sliding door before he slammed it shut with all his might. He had never felt this angry towards anyone before (except his grandparents and his mom when they went to pick him up from Tokyo three months ago). He could only pray that their dirty game had not finished as he ran back to the classroom.