Rating: PG.
Warnings: None.
Spoilers: Vague spoilers for early season two.
Notes: I wrote this at work as I actually seem to do with a lot of stuff that shouldn't come out of someone while working, of all things, retail on the weekend. The go terminology shouldn't be too awful... if it confuses you, go a href"http/senseis. to learn more about the terms.
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Hikaru took a second look at the board. "Sagari?"
Akira looked at him strangely. "Yes. Sagari. I'm glad you remember what it's called. You have been a go pro for a while now."
Sticking his tongue out at the other boy, Hikaru set his next stone. "I don't know. That's just not what I think should come next. I thought you'd use a sabari, and then sagari after I went for tengen."
Looking at Hikaru appraisingly, Akira smiled and took tengen for himself. "That's why."
Hikaru attached to the group in the corner, drawing Akira's gaze. "You wanted tengen for what? There's still too much up in the air in the center."
"Because you attached there instead of going here on the diagonal. You just relinquished control of that corner so my tengen hand connects to the opposite corner when I'm holding strong. In five moves, I'll have the board."
Hikaru's eyes widened in fury. "Not if I do this!"
Akira glared at the stone Hikaru placed and scowled at Hikaru. "Okay. Not if you do that."
Smirking, Hikaru watched as a flustered Akira used keima instead of ogeima. "That was a mistake."
Continuing to scowl at his opponent, Akira slammed down another stone in response to Hikaru's own. "It wasn't a mistake. I don't make those -- not like you." He filled the last word with loathing.
Hikaru laughed. "I guess I should just say it's the first step in your loss, although underestimating me -- like always -- was probably the real first step."
Akira suddenly burst into laughter. "It's hard to do this! I can play like you if I act like you, but I can't act like you because you're being ridiculous."
Taking a drink of his soda, Hikaru smiled. "It's sort of fun to play as you, though. I don't know how you win with all of these standard responses."
Akira was about to retort that Hikaru still hadn't beaten him, but realized that, for once, "his" tactics were failing. He still wondered why he'd agreed to play like Hikaru while Hikaru played like him. He looked at Hikaru, his eyes fierce. "It's my intimidation factor."
"You don't intimidate me, though. So why don't I ever beat you?"
Akira laughed and placed another stone. "That would be your stupidity factor."
"Haha So, ramen after this?" Hikaru haphazardly added to a formation near the upper komoku.
"Only if its a different place than last time. My mouth burns just thinking about the kimchee ramen I had." Akira attached.
"Wuss." Hikaru placed a stone with an eerie sense of finality. "It's too bad you can't think like yourself when you're playing like me. Then you'd be unbeatable."
"That's like... oh, wait! That's like now!"
"You should resign. This is hopeless."
"I can't. My pride is on the line."
"And dinner."
"At least ramen is cheap."
"So are you."
Akira surrounded one of Hikaru's stones and placed it in his goke's lid. "I'm not for sale."
Hikaru looked at him with a smug grin. "Wish you were. I'd save up for you -- all the more reason to win a few titles."
"That's almost... sweet... except that I know you're devious. I'm not sure that I'd trust you to own me."
"I'd keep you in my bed."
The statement was said innocently, but Akira's cheeks flushed bright red. "Shindou."
"And I'd make you call me 'Hikaru'."
"Why would you want me for something like that?"
The game forgotten, Hikaru fingered a stone lightly. "Why wouldn't I want you? You're my best friend, you're a great go player, and, let's face it, you are... attractive."
"Shindou, as much as I appreciate the sentiment, we're noth males."
"I've read up on that. Seems the sex is great."
Akira's cheeks were quick to redden again. "Anyway! You wouldn't want me. I'm a bad cook. I can't even boil water right."
"So I'll cook. I've gotten good. I can even cook other stuff than ramen!"
Akira looked a bit shocked. "I'm a neat freak."
"I'm messy and can never find anything."
"I have a lot of hair care products!"
Hikaru fingered his blonde bangs. "Me too."
"I hate keeping pets."
"It's impractical for as much as we travel."
"Studying..."
"Who cares? We can play go every night and every morning."
"Okay."
"What?"
"I said, 'Okay'. That sounds nice."
"Okay." Hikaru nodded, almost to himself. "So, should we go looking for a place to live together, or do you just want to da-date for a bit first?"
"We can live together as friends and co-workers... of a sort... either way. Didn't you say the apartment next to Waya's opened up? And Isumi moved in a few blocks away?"
"Yeah."
"Let's look there. We could have go parties."
Hikaru smiled at the idea. "That could be... fun. And then maybe I could get the game back that I loaned Waya. He keeps 'forgetting' it because such and such a match is coming up."
"It could work."
Hikaru set down the stone he'd been playing with. "It could. We make enough money for it, especially between the two of us. It's only a station away from the Go Association. We could..." His eyes opened wide. "We can pin up kifu on the walls as much as we want!" Akira raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. "What? My mom doesn't let me do it."
"A landlord probably wouldn't either."
"And sleeping?"
Reaching out a hand and touching Hikaru's lips with a callused fingertip, Akira smiled. "We'll worry about that after we have a place to stay. When do you want to go looking?" He sat back again.
"Tonight?"
Akira laughed. "When did I start liking your impatience?"
"As long as you like me, I don't care."
"Shindou... You're very... likable." He stood up from the table. "Shall we?"
"You mean it?" Hikaru hopped to his feet. "Right now? But the game..."
"We wouldn't want to disturb the landlord much later than this. And, okay, I resign. That last move was brilliant... just like something I would do."
Hikaru stood shock-still for a moment before running after Akira. "Touya! Let's discuss the game on the way over."
"We discussed it all the way through."
"Hnn... that's true." His head shot up in surprise. "We didn't fight! Not once!"
Akira smiled and opened the door for Hikaru. "That's true. By the way, you're paying for dinner."
"But you resigned! That means I win, and you pay for dinner."
"Ah, but you still have to buy me. Aren't I worth a few bowls of ramen at least?"
Hikaru laughed. "Definitely. But, you only get one bowl!"
The two young men, barely seventeen, stepped out into the evening. This day was going to change everything.
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Owari.