Chapter 11

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats

—English proverb

"What's bothering you?" Waya asked, a slightly exasperated look causing a frown to cross his face as he let the younger man in. Hikaru hadn't even had the time to toe his shoes off let alone say hello. How the hell had the other picked up on his mood that fast? He glared at the redhead and shrugged.

"Nothing! I just got here." He grumbled, shoving his one sneaker off and kicking it towards the other shoes that were all neatly lined up. Waya followed the motion with an arched eyebrow.

"Ri-ight." He muttered showing how unconvinced he was of that fact. He refrained rolling his eyes; Hikaru could be a bit too exasperating at times to deal with. Though the younger man had dropped that weird habit of talking to himself a couple years ago, he still continued to have the weirdest mood swings. However, his recent mood swings could usually be pinned on what was going on with Touya Akira. Or even the coming of the month of May.

Waya wracked his brain as to what could cause his friend to be grumpy looking but came up blank. Nothing stood out to him at all. Movie night had gone relatively well despite the pizza fiasco with that little fur-balled idge and the fact that Touya had been clearly bored to tears. That had been amusing actually, Touya trying to be polite and all but not being able to hide how disinterested he'd been at watching Charlie's Angels. When the movie had finished and they (he and Hikaru really) had excitedly decided that they'd do movie night on a weekly basis, the look of horror that had been noticeable for a short period of time on Touya's face had been priceless. Simply priceless. The memory brought a smile to his face for a second before he heard Hikaru sigh. "Okay, seriously. What's up?"

"Really, its nothing." The answer reminded him of Touya. It took him a minute to realize why though and for a split second the realization was overpowered by the fear that Hikaru was turning him as Touya-obsessed as he was. S-C-A-R-Y! He shivered and decided it was time to get to the bottom of this mystery. Even if it was for the simple fact that they could move on and think or discuss something not Touya related.

"That's what Touya said last night and clearly it wasn't nothing…" He trailed off as his friend's expression turned darker. Apparently, without meaning to, he'd hit the problem on the head.

"Yeah. Well, he was allowed to not say anything more about it so," Hikaru made a motion with his hands as if he was waving the subject completely aside. The look on his face expressed how happy he was with that situation. Waya could only drudge up a small hint of curiosity on the subject but he figured it was the opposite for Hikaru. Was that really what was eating him? He sighed and shoved his hands in the pockets of his cargo pants.

"Isumi seemed to know what it was about. Ask him."

"I want to." Hikaru started. "I just haven't had the chance."

"Waya? Shindo? What's taking the two of you so long? Morishita-sensei is starting to wonder…" Isumi trailed off as the two shorter go players turned to him as one.

"Perfect timing, 'Sumi. Shindo has a question for you." Waya shoved the younger man in front of him, grinning at the yelp that caused. Isumi instinctively went to grab Hikaru's shoulders just in case the other completely lost his balance. He was barely thanked for his thoughtful gesture. The younger man was already turning to growl at the redhead.

"A question?" Isumi asked quickly before Hikaru and Waya started bickering. Those two—he shook his head inwardly—they never grew up. He'd thought they'd had and well… He sighed. Oh well, better this than when they weren't speaking to each other.

"It's stupid. We can talk about it later." Hikaru mumbled, glaring at Waya from the side.

"Oh? You sure?"

"Yes." Hikaru gritted out at the same times as Waya chirped an amused "No."

"Uhm?" Isumi started wearily glancing between the two of them. After a glaring game that didn't last as long as it felt it did, Hikaru sighed.

"I don't even know how to ask this." Hikaru paused, fiddling with his backpack as he shrugged it off and threw it to where his shoes were. "What was up with Touya last night? You seemed to know…and I don't get it at all." The way Hikaru phrased it; Waya suddenly realized how frustrating that must feel. To be somebody's rival, roommate, secret crush, and have someone else understand him better… He looked at Isumi to see how his friend would respond. The taller man had his head tilted to one side, mouth slightly open in surprise.

"Oh." He shifted his weight a bit nervously. "I really do think it'd be best for you to talk to Touya about that Shindo. I mean, all I can do is guess at what it could be. But," He shrugged nervously at the look Hikaru was gracing him with. A mixture of frustration, annoyance, and pleading. "I think he was just referencing to the fact that he's shy or was."

"Shy!?" Waya and Hikaru sputtered at the same time. They glanced at each other, sharing their incredulity. "Shy?" Hikaru repeated the word. "Touya has never been shy around me!" He exclaimed finally.

"And never around anyone else for that matter." Waya added his two cents in. Shy? No way. The guy was too sure of himself to be shy.

"You two have only seen the Go player Touya! And anyway you don't have to take my word for it!" Isumi took a step back. "You asked what I thought, that's what I thought."

"You're crazy." Waya muttered.

"I hope you're all planning an amazing fool proof game against this Touya Akira to ensure that you beat him with the amount of time it's taking the three of you to join the rest of the study group." Morishita-sensei's voice broke through and doused all of them with what felt like cold water. Hikaru straightened nervously as Waya nearly jumped to where his teacher was, and Isumi simply sighed in relief weirdly enough. It was enough to further convince Waya that Isumi was truly insane. He wondered why he'd never noticed before. His teacher's glare was enough to make that thought wither away.

"We were, we were." He stammered. "In fact we were just discussing how we could use his uhm… shyness," He stumbled over the word and shot another weirded look at Isumi. "to our advantage. What do you think sensei?" The older man blinked.

"You know I don't approve of mind games." He rubbed his chin, starting to turn slowly away from them and back to the main room. "However..." The rest was mumbled, their sensei lost in his thoughts and plottings on how to finally beat the Touya group. His inattention allowed Hikaru to catch up to Waya, elbow him, and mouth the words 'what were you thinking?!'

"Sensei?" Isumi started. "Do you think Touya is shy?" He asked, glaring back at Waya. He couldn't help it. Waya always managed to get him to act a bit immature. But then again, no one ever noticed because of how Waya and Shindo acted. Compared to them, he would always be the older, more mature, and sensible Isumi.

"Hm?" He made a slightly startled noise and glanced back at the three—boys to him really—and nodded. "You could say he is. He's much better than when he was younger." He chuckled at the look those wide eyes awarded him. "Touya was so shy I didn't even know he could speak until he was oh…six or something. It was a rarity if you could get a word from him let alone get him to come out from behind his mother's skirt at that time. Of course, that was off the go board. On it, he was a little demon. Just like his father…" The man shook his head, a frown coming to crease the wrinkled face once more.

The rest of the study session remained a quiet affair for the youngsters of the group as one of them mulled over the information concerning his longtime rival, one continued to stew in disbelief, and the last remained slightly smug at being right.

….…

Hours later, the three stretched and put their shoes back on. Waya rolled his shoulders a couple of times before coming to lean on the wall as he waited for the other two to be done. "You guys hungry?" He asked, ending the question with a yawn.

"Yes." Hikaru responded and without skipping a beat, added the last bit. "Ramen." He grinned over to the redhead, finishing tying his sneakers. The redhead opened his mouth and shut it with a decided snap. He sighed.

"Damn it. I can't believe you beat me to it." Hikaru laughed at that and grabbed his backpack before shrugging it on one shoulder.

"I'm hungry and we've had this argument way too many times." He stood up straight and glanced back at an amused looking Isumi. "Ramen is all right, ne Isumi?"

"Love it. Isumi gets his say while I'm just ignored." Waya grumbled before Isumi had a chance to answer.

"Ignore you? How? You never stop." Hikaru muttered back, teasing smile on his face. Isumi decided that he would open the door and start walking out before the two really got at each other's jugulars. The two followed promptly, all three of them falling into a comfortable pace. They made their way to the ramen shop where Isumi was slightly embarrassed to find that they had become known as the customers. They definitely did come here too often. Everyone who worked there knew them, recognized them on site, and knew their tastes… As the door closed behind them, the cook looked up and a huge smile split across his face. He quickly waved them in.

"Your regulars?" He called out. "Or is today a special?" A special was what the cook had started to call the very rare occasions that they tried a new type of ramen. Hikaru smiled and grabbed the menu, casting a quick look at it before shrugging.

"Regular."

"Regular." Waya sighed. "And Isumi is definitely a regular too." He added, answering for Isumi in a way that was completely second nature to him. The cook laughed at them, used to their antics, and disappeared into the kitchen. "So," Waya muttered as he shifted enough that he was slumping in his seat in a comfortable slouch. Isumi bumped shoulders with him, smiling before straightening his own posture up a bit. The redhead merely gave him a look before clearing his throat and continuing on with his previous thoughts. "Are you feeling better? Have your questions been answered?"

"Uhm." Hikaru blinked at his friend.

"Waya." Isumi started to admonish him.

"What? Need to make sure to clear the air and then we can move on…"

"We?" Hikaru asked, torn between being amused, happy to have friends that were so concerned for him, and slightly annoyed at the pushy redhead.

"Yeah. You're moody." Waya muttered with a huge smile and a wink. "No offence or anything but you are." Hikaru scoffed.

"And you aren't?"

"Please," Isumi cut in. People were starting to stare at them. Some of the customers knew them and simply hid a smile before turning back to their meals. Others however, stared with widening eyes. "Both of you. Its like the pot calling the kettle black." He sighed. "You're both moody!" His exasperated and slightly pained sounding voice made the two younger boys laugh after sharing a knowing look between the two of them. Next time, Isumi thought a bit tiredly, he was making sure Touya was with them. At least then he could have someone who would understand his plight. When the two were finally done, their ramen bowls were ready for them and the steamy bowls captured their attention. Hikaru slurped his down at a pace that was too fast to even fathom and ordered his usual second. As he waited, he twirled his chopsticks giving them an unusual amount of attention. He clicked them on the table and then gave sheepish grin.

"Actually Isumi…" His tone made the older boy pause and swallow what he'd been chewing carefully. He glanced at the younger pro and wondered what would be coming next. "I did have another question."

"Hah! I knew it." Waya muttered with his mouth full. Hikaru ignored that comment and continued. Isumi's heart sank and wondered when exactly he'd been appointed as the Touya expert.

"This came from a conversation a long time ago…" He paused and gave a little scowl. "Do you have any idea why Touya would say he'd never be a father? He said something about how it wouldn't be fair to them." The question hadn't been what Waya had expected and he choked on his ramen. How he had any expectation where it concerned Shindo and Touya was beyond Isumi. Really…those two were the MOST random individuals he'd ever met. Well, Shindo more so than Touya but the two together? He shook his head.

"Shindo…" Isumi started, knowing his eyes were beyond wide.

"Dude." Waya cut in, gasping for air. "If he's anything like you, there won't be any kids in the future." Hikaru turned bright red, eyes wide. Apparently, that possibility hadn't even occurred to him. Before the poor boy could even adjust to that particular realization, Waya continued, ignoring Isumi's ineffective waves signaling that they should bring the volume of this conversation down. "And why the hell were you having that kind of conversation with him anyway? I mean…" Waya looked a bit lost. "I don't even know that about Isumi!" At that, amber eyes flashed towards him. "And to tell you the truth, I don't think I want to at this point. We're… we're… god… we're still teenagers! Can you imagine marriage, kids, and the rest…" Isumi stilled at the panicky look that crossed his best friend's face. It was sort of funny, sort of cute.

"It's ok Waya. No one's proposed to you yet. I think you're still safe." He teased quietly, nudging him slightly. "And I'm still very much single. So no marriage or kids in the horizon for me as well. But if you want to know…" He paused for effect taking in the VERY BIG widening of eyes that were looking at him. It was hard not to burst out laughing. "I wouldn't mind a family of four." 'Four' Waya mouthed and shook his head. He turned back to his ramen and took a big swallow, still shaking his head. In the mean time, Shindo simply rested his head on his hand.

"Four? You, the wife, and two kids? Boys, girls, or both?"

"Why are we having this conversation?" Waya's voice cracked. "I thought I had clearly stated that I didn't want to know! We're too young. No kids. They smell. They're scary…"

"We're getting off topic." Isumi decided to save Waya from the apparent agony. He hid his smile behind a hand and took a breath before trying to answer Shindo's original question. "Seriously Shindo, I have no idea about Touya." He didn't really understand why Shindo had even thought he would know. "Does he like children?" He tried vainly only because of how down the other boy looked at his previous response. Shindo nodded, looking slightly glum.

"Is there a reason why you can't ask him?" Waya asked, sounding calmer and being very reasonable about the situation considering.

"I…" Shindo paused as his second bowl came and he nodded his thanks before digging his chopsticks in. "Its just that he looked sad when he said it. And I can't understand it…" There was a pause and Isumi could tell that Waya was battling with staying serious since Shindo was being incredibly serious and saying something that was most likely hilarious but very rude. He braced himself for the latter.

"Maybe," Waya finally muttered face very pinched. "Maybe he's sterile?" Isumi felt like hitting his head on the table. He elbowed his friend instead at the same time as Shindo, flushed in anger this time and not embarrassment, kicked him underneath the table. Hissing through pain, the redhead could only stammer a curse and a stuttered apology. "I was friggin' joking!"

"Not funny." His words really didn't need to be heard, Shindo's dark scowl was answer enough.

To be continued…

A/N- ah, what to say? I'm back, alive, and kicking (or should I say I'm back and typing…) I'll try and update soon, the next chapter is already partially written. My own cat is giving me plenty of ideas and stories to continue this fic with. And I'm sorry Touya Akira will make his appearance along with Kira and Karu in the next chappie!!!