I'm soooooo sorry for the really late update. I have no excuse! It's my fault. It's what every writer hates and fears. It's the writer's block! I had my first three pages finished since the first few days after I update the last chapter but Akira's scene was really hard to squeeze out form my small brain. I promise I'll go back to drafting the outline of the story again and try to work harder on this fic so I can continue updating at my regular pace.

As for replying reviews, there are too many guests reviews in the last chapter so I'll just answer your questions in total instead of single out each of them (since I don't know how to address you differently).

First, guests' reviews: I tried to put some different ideas into my fic and I'm sooo happy to know that you like my OC as well. My 'royal' Hikaru is inspired by an antagonist character from another manga/anime. I think Hikaru's grandparents' upbringing would effect his major personality but the 'true' and 'rebellious' him would always find the way to preserve his 'old self. In the last chapter, he found some similarities of his younger self in Yashiro that now becomes unwanted by his grandparents and those who surrounded him. So Hikaru instantly becomes attached to Yashiro and even called him by his first name (ignoring Yashiro's rejection). Things will surely get more intense from now on and I really hope I could have a smoother journey as I write this fic (Fingers crossed)

Another's guest review: The name of this Arc is Kyoto Arc :D

Anonymous: Glad you're back and happy ;D

Yuu: You'll probably meet Sai again in the next chapter. I admit I want to write more about him. Do you want to read more about his matches?

Infinitechange: The game is on!

Kanrei: You might think of him as naive. But to me, he's more like a stubborn, headstrong kid. I prefer Hikaru to be a bad ass young master.

Some of my reviewers are missing :'( Even though I know you guys are following my story closely, I still miss you a lot. I thank you for your support and reviews+favs+follows. For those who left comments, I hope you come back and give me some more. Those who didn't, no hard feelings (but I hope you'll let me know how you like or hate my fic, sometime in the future) Your expectations drive me to write the fic and I always appreciate them.

Enough chat (talkative as always) and get on with the new chapter. Hope to see you again very soon!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hikaru no Go

Yashiro raised his hand to wipe away the sweat that was about to drip into his eye. He gulped some air down his dry throat, hoping to suit his nervousness as he looked at the board tensely. He had never been good at this board game since the first time he learnt about it in the school's cultural period so he knew from the beginning when Ayabe approached him to request for a 'friendly' game that his inevitable loss was guaranteed.

So why was he so set about playing this game with Ayabe anyway? It was because the rambling that came from this snobbish boy and his minions about how he, Yashiro Kiyoharu, turned out to be a great disappointment for not being able to hold a game against a normal student despite being an academic role model.

"Wow, Ayabe-kun, I wonder why the school gave the scholarship to Yashiro-kun and not you. If Go was truly a strategy game like most people says, isn't it obvious who has a better thinking here?" The skinny boy next to Ayabe sniggered as he sent his glare from over the board to Yashiro. The young Yashiro clenched his fists tightly as he stared back.

"Well, isn't it obvious Takada-kun, the school would give the money to those students who need it most. It is simply that my family can afford to pay my tuition fee unlike Yashiro-kun here. That is why I miss my chance to be granted the title." Ayabe taunted, eyeing the shaken scholarship boy with contempt. His lopsided smirk had widened as he noticed the students around the class began to turn their heads, a low humming sound started to increase in volume.

Yashiro gritted his teeth until his jaws slowly became numb. He already knew where he stood in this elite school circle without the help from Ayabe to rub it in his face.

"But I'll give you some credit, since your plan to blend in with us this time around is unexpectedly good." Ayabe grinned widely before he closed in for a whisper. But instead of receiving a hushed dialogue from Ayabe, Yashiro heard the boy announced his accusation very loud and clear.

"What a cunning plan you have there, Yashiro-kun, to use Fujiwara-kun as your stepping stone. A very dirty plan befitting someone like you indeed," Ayabe chuckled lightly as he watched Yashiro's eyes widened in horror. The latter felt his blood rushed to fill his ears as he sharply stood from his seat, hammering his fist on the table where the board was set. Most of the female students jolted up in their spots but some boys had started wearing a hostile look after they had witness Yashiro's burst of temper. The temporary Go instructor was about to step in and clear up the situation when Ayabe had his insulting grin returned on his face.

"I'll give you a chance to repent whatever sly deed you have in your evil mind. Apologize and accept your lost to me," he smirked

Yashiro lips were quivering uncontrollably. He felt every muscle in his body tense up with anger at the thought of giving in to the boy's ridiculous demand. He shouldn't have let his guard down and let that new boy approached him. He should have known better to associate himself with the student who was superior to him in rank and social status. Now he got no one to blame for bringing this humiliation upon himself. He bit down hard on his lips, almost successfully drew blood onto the skin as he prepared to accept his disgraceful state.

"I resig…"

"Stop!" Yashiro was abruptly cut off by the roar of the slammed open door. Every pair of eyes in the class had gathered at the arriving figure who was panting heavily at the entrance. The boy narrowed his eyes dangerously when his gaze caught on the four students who were standing around the table far to the back of the room. He gradually collected himself as he bowed down to the Go instructor before carefully closed the door, quietly this time.

The whole class was silenced as the new student walked passes their seats. His chest was flexing up and down as he tried to calm his breathing. He glanced down at the still unfinished game between Yashiro and Ayabe and studied it for a short moment before he placed his hand on Yashiro's shoulder, gently pushing him to the side as he lowered himself down onto the seat.

"You're black, correct?" Hikaru glanced sideway to Yashiro who had finally come to his sense due to the question directed at him. He nodded in reply as the new student abruptly turned away to look at the other three who stood across from him.

"I'm sorry if my new friend did anything to upset you. As an apology, please let me continue this game with you in his place. That is, if you don't mind," Hikaru forced his speech through his tightly gritted teeth. His chilling tone raised the hair on the back of the necks of those who were in the hearing vicinity. Ayabe and his gang were rooted to the spots. The cold sweats slowly traced down the side of their temples as their gazes accidentally met with the boy's murderous stare.

"Sit," Hikaru's voice was calm but strangely threatening at the same time. "please" His lips were spread into a sweet smile but its cheerfulness didn't reach his darken green eyes in the least.

Ayabe reluctantly sank back into his seat. He tried to steady his shaken hands by holding them firmly together. It's alright. He is the one who requests this. Black's lost isn't guaranteed yet but from the look of the shapes and positions, it will need some miracle to come back on top. It will be another story if I was playing against my father but if my opponent is this new young master who doesn't even seem to know how to play the game, it's my win.

Yashiro stared nervously at Hikaru's back. The Fujiwara boy already took sometime to study the board without moving an inch since he settled himself across the Goban. Unlike most Go game for children at their ages where the 9x9 or 13x13 boards were used, all Go played during Ritsumeikan's cultural period was on the original board size, making the games considerably harder for beginners. Even if Fujiwara wasn't a beginner, Yashiro couldn't imagine him winning against Ayabe who had been trained formally by his pro father since he was very young.

"Fujiwara-kun, I don't think you should…" Yashiro was about to warn him but he had been cut off immediately.

"Keep quiet," the young master said quietly without as much turning to face him. His firm, emotionless voice demanded finality. After a minute or two, Hikaru's fingers dug into the Go bowl.

Glack!

The snapping sound of the black stone against the wooden board echoed through the classroom. The students were silenced as some of them craned their necks to get a better view of the board, others were abandoning their seats to go and have a closer look around Hikaru. Ayabe's eyes widened slightly as he noticed Hikaru's fingers had gracefully rolled around the stone as if the boy was used to handling it. So he isn't a beginner and he seems confident in his skill. But it was Yashiro's game you are playing. How far can you carry a dead weight like these stones on your shoulders? Surely, you don't hope to win against me. Ayabe smirked

Pachi Glack!

Pachi Glack!

Pachi Glack!

Ayabe frowned as he looked up at Hikaru. This pretentious prince is starting to get on my nerve. Does he intend to snap his every move until the end? In your dream, Fujiwara, your petty trick cannot distract me.

They continued exchanging their hands. It was almost a speed Go considering the pace they were going. What made this game distinctively different from the fast pace Go was that Hikaru was actually thinking instead of letting his instinct placed the stones for him. His eyes shone brighter and crueler as his gaze followed Ayabe's hand which had moved exactly to the spots he had predicted. Come, one more move. The corners of his lips slowly curled upward into a smug grin.

As Ayabe snapped his stone to connect his wall on the right side of the board, Hikaru's grin quickly faded away and replaced by a stern frown. He grabbed a black stone, biting on his lips to calm his loud thumping heart as the complicated path on the board was slowly glowing to his eyes. In all his life of playing Go, he had never considered this type of play. The shapes were scattered and not very orderly placed but they had also created possibilities for him to outline some very confusing traps if the following moves were played correctly which meant no errors, no mistakes, and no miscalculations on his part. It was very risky and exciting style which, surprisingly, Hikaru had found very attractive.

Glack!

His next hand came down firmed and strong on the board. Hikaru needed all his will power to suppress the leaking laughter from his throat. To Hikaru, that last move he placed had announced his absolute victory even though Ayabe and the rest of the class still remained clueless to what was actually happen at the time. Hikaru couldn't help wondering how many more hands he had to play until this Ayabe saw his lost or until someone else pointed it out to the crowd.

Five hands into the game, another seven points for him. Ten hands into the game, another eleven points added to their difference in total score. Fifteen hands into the game…god, how long will he keep playing?

Finally, a gasps was heard from Hikaru's left. He turned sharply to take a look at the first person who had saw Ayabe's inevitable defeat. Much to his disappointment, it was their Go instructor from Kansai ki-in who wore a look of great surprise (or from Hikaru's point of view, she looked like she had just been scared out of her wit from seeing a ghost under the daylight).

"You…how?" she stuttered.

"Sensei, please don't interrupt us." Hikaru said sternly but remained as polite as he could manage. He was still furious about Ayabe and his gang's plan to sabotage his friendship with Kiyoharu but he knew better than to vent it on someone else that wasn't involve in this charade. Speaking of which, he might have already lost a screw or two on Hayakawa and Kiyoharu while his temper went out of control earlier. He mentally noted that he would need to apologize to them after the game. Hikaru turned back and glanced to his opponent who seemed to be trembling in his seat. Ayabe's pale face and his gaped mouth were unexpectedly entertaining to look at. He chuckled slightly at that.

"So, Ayabe-kun, what's next?" Hikaru smiled sarcastically. His arms were crossed in the front and his chin tilted up slightly as he stared down at Ayabe as if he was a disgusting bug to be squashed.

"I…I resign." he quickly bowed down to the young Fujiwara, averting his eyes from the sight of the boy who had beaten him at his favorite game by a humiliating gigantic margin.

~o0O0o~

It was one early afternoon that Touya Akira had walked into a convenient store on his way from school to his father's Go salon. He quickly marched to the magazine shelves where he could always find the latest issue of Go weekly. The reason he was here to check on the magazine wasn't because that the Touya's salon didn't carry them but rather the lack of its availability as of late. Ever since the Go world had welcomed the three new pros of the year, the first and the second pro to pass the exam had gathered enormous attention from every living amateur player for two major reasons. The first reason was that the two players were the youngest pro of the current generation whose skills, despite of being only the first dan pros, were on equal footing with the higher dan players. The second reason, the hottest topic and the most talked about, was the recent clash between the two in the Kisei title league which was held in the Yugen no Ma room about a week ago. The show down which led to the scarce of the Go publication since its latest issue had also featured the kifu of the rumored 'the most stunning fight of the decade: Shusaku of the twentieth century'.

Akira's eyes lit up at the site of the lone Go weekly magazine which seemed to be the last one on the shelves. He quickly reached his hand out but failed to grab it as his height was the main obstacle to the course. The boy blushed slightly as he hoped that no one had witness his embarrassing attempt and started to gather himself for a second try.

"Oi, Yoshitaka! Come here and take a look. It's that new idol pro you're worshipping," The boy whose hair had a dark flaming shade of red called out to his friend with his thunderous voice. Akira had to admit to himself that the boy had quite an intimidating demeanor as he winced away from his previous spot next to the red head, although his eyes still rooted to the (stolen) Go magazine in the older boy's hands.

"Hey, I know I might have asked too much, especially from someone like you. But can you please show some respect? He's a phenomenal to the Go world and his style helps the inseis to understand Shusaku's games better. At the very least, I hope you're grateful to him." Waya scolded his friend as he approached the shelves, knocking Akira's shoulder to one side in the progress.

"Ah~ yeah yeah, whatever you say," the red hair boy replied indifferently as he used his other hand to pick his ear. Damn, he's always so serious with everything that involves this damn pretty face pro and his Go. It's almost to the point of unhealthy obsession.

Akira grumpily massaged his shoulder. He was contemplating between voicing out his complain to the two boys or keep quiet and continue listening in on their conversation. The latter choice appeared to be more attractive since the mention of the inseis studying Fujiwara pro's games together held an interesting aspect to him. Ever since the day that Fujiwara Hikaru had beaten him, he began to search for an even more creative moves in order to prepare himself to face this opponent in their next meeting. Playing with the other older pros whose skills were more refined always great for him in terms of improvement, especially with Fujiwara pro, Ogata pro, and his father. But it would be the younger talents who often inspired him to create more daring moves, and Akira would not let any chance at discovering such refreshing plays slip away from his hands.

"Are you two in the insei class? Do they study Fujiwara-san's kifus there?"

The two older boys turned their heads at Akira's question. They glanced back at each other for a short moment before the boy who bumped into Akira earlier shook his head.

"No, we are not. But we are about to take the up coming exam. Do you wanna be an insei as well?"

Akira was standing there, blinking. He never thought about being an insei because he was already in his father's study group even before he could remember how the world worked around him. He wondered how his father would react to the request of him joining the class.

"I think it'd be fun to study with other children."

"If that's the case," the red head shrugged "I think you better hurry. The registration period is about to end in two weeks. I hope you already have a pro to sponsor you."

"A pro? Sponsor?" Akira quirked one of his brows

"Yeah, you'll need a pro player to sponsor your study. If you haven't got one, I can get our sensei to take care of it. It's just that, you will most likely have to join his study group every Tuesday to start your formal study."

"Oh, thank you very much but I think I'll have my father take care of that."

"Well if you say so, good luck with your exam then,"

Akira bowed as he thanked the boys. The red head just waved him goodbye casually, the other just smiled before they both walked away to the cashier.

'Besides if 'that guy' is still playing Go, I am sure he will appear before me again. I'm taking my bet that we will meet as inseis, Fujiwara. Someday, I'll make you stop and turn to look at me. Someday, I'll make you remember my name" Akira looked up to search for the magazine but couldn't find any. His head turned swiftly at the direction where the two older boys disappeared. When it seemed like he wouldn't be able to trace them down, he sighed "Oh, no. Not again,"