Summary: You shouldn't write e-mails when drunk, especially not if you are Touya Akira...

Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go or its characters.

Warning: OOC, some language, double entendres, slightly yaoi, don't like, don't read.

A/N: The looong chapter 8 is up! The story is finally completed. O.O I hope you will enjoy the last chapter! If there has been any fault, I beg your pardon (I have used some Japanese words, if I spelled them wrong, please let me know). Thanks to all of you who have taken time to review and comment my story. And wanted me to complete it! And once again, thanks to my beta LadyDiablo. Please read and review! I am awfully curious of what you think!

E-mail, chapter 8

"Would you care for a Game tonight?"

Hikaru had stared dumbfounded at his mobile. It was a rarity that Akira texted him. Touya usually preferred to phone and talk directly when he wanted something. The blonde boy hadn't stopped thinking about the text message during the whole match against Waya. Well maybe for a while in the beginning, when his thoughts were preoccupied with strangling the redhead slowly. How dare the boy lay a finger on his Akira? And to that, kiss him? Hikaru almost growled at the image his brain conjured up at that particular thought. But he kept quiet, he sat on a train bound to the station nearest his rival's home and people on trains react so funny when you start to talk to yourself.

He knew that from experience.

The train to Touya's neighborhood took almost 30 minutes so Shindo had plenty of time to reflect on things. He had played quite sloppy against Waya, and even if he had slaughtered the redhead, Akira would scold him for his poor play later. But it had been due to absentmindedness, he had had a lot on his mind. But Waya hadn't spotted his mistakes, no wonder there; Waya wasn't nearly as good as himself. He wasn't even in the same league, and he would never be either. Somehow that thought felt surprisingly good.

Hikaru giggled, but stopped abruptly, though he couldn't keep from grinning. His thoughts had wandered on their own accord and stopped on a part of conversation he and Touya had had earlier in the other boy's kitchen.

-o-

Flashback

He saw Akira slumping on the table, the hungover boy was silently waiting for the painkillers to kick in. He himself stood at the kitchen sink and, with sheer determination and in his opinion, no success at all, peeled those fucking potatoes. Suddenly the assaulted-by-a-potato-boy groaned and mumbled something to the table. Hikaru cut his eyes to the boy, wondering what the mumblings were about. Touya turned his head, facing the boy at the sink. Unwavering, blue eyes met confused green ones.

"What exactly were we doing when Ogata barged in yesterday?"

Shindo turned around and stared at his crush, not knowing how to answer. What had they been doing? Well, that wasn't too difficult to pinpoint, but how in hell could he answer that? He could literally feel his face growing hotter.

"Umm.. you see..." Not able to produce an understandable sentence Hikaru floundered after the right kind of answer. Hell, whatever, an answer. The unwavering blue eyes were accompanied by faint pink cheekbones, and the slumping boy tiredly continued. "Hey, Shindo, there isn't a single soul here except us, just answer the damn question."

Desperately, Hikaru blurted out the first words that came to mind. "Not a living soul anyway." The green haired boy straighten himself up quickly and sat normally on the chair, curiosity shone in the blue eyes, blue inquiring eyes that stared into Shindo's.

"Not a living... do you mean ghosts?"

Hikaru cringed, he and his brainless mouth! Why couldn't he shut up, just once? Silently, he cursed himself. He must change the subject to something which Akira couldn't remotely connect to Sai! Not wanting to look into Akira's sharp, most of the times too sharp, eyes, Hikaru averted his own eyes. Best to get control of this conversation before Touya began to ask the real difficult questions.

"Kira-chan, do you believe in ghosts?"

Shindo could have smacked himself silly. That would certainly change the subject. Pretending to examine the potato in his hand, he strained his ears to hear his rival's answer.

"Hmm, not sure. I have never encountered one."

Almost loosing hold of a root vegetable for the second time that day, Shindo stared wide eyed at the now frowning boy. Stupefied, Hikaru tried to find some kind of intelligent reply. He opened his mouth only to close it again. Akira's answer had rendered him speechless. An urge to giggle was squished and only a small smile grazed Shindo's lips. He took a deep breath and finally took control over himself and his vocal cords.

"So you never.. encountered a ghost then?"

The bleach banged boy studied Touya intently. Confusion was evident on the other boys face.

"No. Never."

"Oh. Is that really so...?" Still smiling, Hikaru turned to the potato-filled sink and continued to peel the potatoes.

End flashback

-o-

He had changed the subject rather easily after that; luckily Touya hadn't been at his sharpest right then. Shindo snorted, shook his head disbelievingly, and then checked the digital information sign above his head. One station left.

Akira had been, quite understandable, a bit out of it today. Was that the reason for the capital G in the text message? A simple mistake due to his hangover? Did the blockhead really mean a regular game of Go? Or...? The green haired boy was usually very careful when writing, even when writing text messages on the phone. It was just that kind of person he was.

The train's sound system announced the station closest to Touya's apartment. Arriving at the station, Hikaru scrambled off the train, still deep in thoughts.

The closer the bleached go-pro came to his crush's home, the more distressed he felt. Weird things fluttered around his stomach. Things which refused to be identified. Feelings which refused to be identified.

Shindo had been thinking a lot since he left his probably oblivious crush earlier and he couldn't help but worry. And what about Akira? What about the boy prone to analyzing, over thinking and worrying about everything? If Hikaru had been pondering yesterday's events to no end, how much had Touya been thinking? More importantly, what had he been thinking and what conclusions had he drawn?

Without realizing, Hikaru stopped and stared into nothingness while more and more questions emerged. Disturbing questions. What if Touya found him repulsive now? What if he didn't want to see him anymore? What if Akira regretted yesterday? Well, the drinking part was pretty obvious, anyone would. But the rest?

What if…?

Hikaru found himself motionless on the sidewalk staring at, but not really seeing, some kind of flower which he didn't know the name of. The yellowish streetlight illuminated the petals, making the white flowers look almost golden. The sky had begun to change into night mode and even if it already was the beginning of May the wind was chilling.

Wrapping his sweater tighter around himself, Shindo wished he had brought his jacket with him. In the hurry to get to Akira fastest possible he had totally forgot it at home. The chilling weather aside, this wasn't the time to dawdle. He had to sort this out. Get some answers to his questions. Why couldn't feelings be as easily predicted as Go? The young go-pro started walking once again, this time with long, determined strides, towards his friend's home.

Determination long gone and cursing his shaking fingers, Hikaru rang the doorbell. Dread spreading throughout his chest for every second that passed without Akira opening. Slow steps could finally be heard on the other side of the door. Did they sound hesitant? Was there a small pause before the lock tumbled open and the door handle moved? The nervously waiting boy frowned, was he going insane?

Typical Touya to manage that.

Akira opened the door, a cloth in one hand and his hair pulled back in a high ponytail. A few strands had escaped the hold of the rubber band and shimmered in the light coming from the apartment.

"Come in." Akira stepped away from the door and motioned Hikaru in. He followed the green haired boy into the hallway and pulled off his shoes.

"Umm, ponytail?" At this rate his IQ would go down the drain in no time. Why on earth couldn't he ever say anything bright in the presence of Touya? The reason, Shindo had concluded, must be that damn greenish hair, it was mesmerizing. And in a ponytail… How could anyone look that good in a ponytail?

Akira just showed the cloth and gave it a small shake. "I'm cleaning. So I pulled it back, long hair isn't the most practical thing…"

The fact that his rival had long hair surprised Shindo sometimes, since it was far from practical. And Touya was all about practicality. Why had the boy decided to wear it long in the first place? It would be no wonder if the boy chopped it off. Maybe he should destroy every pair of scissors in the vicinity…?

Shindo gave his head a shake at that particularly ridiculous thought, looked confused at Touya who obviously had said something to him. Seeing the other boy's blank expression, the boy in the ponytail repeated himself.

"How did your match against Waya go?"

"Umm. Well, I didn't play my best. I was a bit.. distracted, but I won. He hadn't the slightest chance." After a small pause Hikaru stated firmly: "I wouldn't let him take anything that belong to me."

Akira stared unfathomably at Shindo after the shorter boy's statement. Too late Hikaru realized the unintended double entendre in what he just said. Had his crush noticed? He glanced at Touya's unreadable face, no clue there.

"I can show you the game, if you want to of course…" Shindo waited nervously.

Silently Akira motioned towards the goban in the combined bed and living room. They went to the said room and Hikaru sat down, legs crossed, in front of the wooden board. Touya didn't sit down instead he stood beside the now sitting boy. Touya looked strained for a fraction of a second but immediately regained his unreadable expression. Was it his own imagination or had the already weird atmosphere turned a bit forced?

"Do you want a cup of tea?"

Shindo jumped at Touya's sudden question, but he nodded and saw the other boy turn abruptly and disappear into the kitchen. Did Akira feel a tinge of relief when parting just as he did? Hikaru felt uneasy, seriously, was he nervous because of his old friend? Waiting for the longhaired boy to come back, Hikaru started to recreate the game.

As Shindo opened one of the gokes, he heard a cabinet door slamming shut and then the clatter of porcelain. Small noises reached him from the rejoining room while he started to arrange the intricate pattern of black and white stones. Was Akira pacing in the kitchen? Suddenly, the soft sound of pacing back and forth stopped and soon Akira became visible in the doorway, holding two cups in his hands.

The boy made his way over to Shindo and carefully put down one of the cups beside the sitting go-pro. Then the silent boy went to the other side of the goban and arranged himself in a proper seiza. Hikaru began to explain the pattern and which order the stones were played.

"I made a mistake here, and when Waya put down his next stone I was afraid he had seen through my strategy." Akira nodded, silently sipping his tea. Shindo stole a quick glance at the green haired boy who hadn't uttered a single word during the whole explanation. Touya's unusual behavior rendered Hikaru extremely nervous. What was the other boy thinking?

"But as you see…" Hikaru hesitated. Another look at Akira's expressionless face made him even more nervous. He swallowed hard, his hands forming tight fists in the fabric of his jeans, managing to wrinkle it. He tried again. "But as you see, by this move I understood Waya hadn't a clue and I proceeded as planned. My strategy…"

Shindo willed his now white knuckled hands to release the hold on the jeans. Akira was still silent. And unreadable. His rival looked at him inquiringly, seemingly waiting for Hikaru to continue. Those unwavering blue eyes made his mouth go totally dry. How could he concentrate on the game with Waya when all he thought about was Akira and yesterday's events? The previous night Akira seemed to have some feelings for him but had he really? Or was yesterday all due to the alcohol? How would the boy react if Hikaru told him about his feelings? Should he even tell him? The thoughts were overwhelming.

"My strat.. strat…" Hikaru's voice shattered. The half blond boy lowered his head, not wanting Akira to see the feelings he knew were written in his face.

"Hikaru-kun…"

At the sound of Akira's strained voice Hikaru lifted his head. The face of his friend and crush wasn't as composed as before. It was pained - insecurity, dread and nervousness were in plain sight.

"I don't want this awkward atmosphere, I don't want it to be like this between us. I have to.. to…" Touya began to stutter. "About yesterday, the kiss.. I'm sorry.. I, I should, if you want me to.. I understand if you don't..." The boy's blue eyes were now desperate and pleading and said so much more than Touya's words. "But I want to keep…" Akira averted his eyes and continued with a small voice: "Sorry, I don't make any sense…"

To hell with sense! Hikaru desperately pushed the goban away, stones tumbling to the floor.

He slammed the surprised boy against the wall behind him, and before Akira could make any protest, the blonde boy kissed him fiercely. When the boy didn't try to push him away, Hikaru claimed the lips even more eagerly. Abruptly, Shindo broke off the kiss. He had to. He couldn't… Resting his head on Touya's shoulder he gasped for air. "Don't be sorry, don't regret…"

Don't push me away, don't hate me for this. Don't let this ever end… Shindo's thoughts overlapped each other but he couldn't put them into words. His voice didn't work anymore. Terrified, he waited for Touya's reaction.

Akira, hesitantly reached for the blond boy and caressed his cheek with shaking fingers. Before realizing what he was doing, Hikaru straddled his crush, kissing him again. He could feel Akira's slim hand gripping his shoulder, his back, pressing closer, accepting him. His hand moved as by itself, pulling at Akira's ponytail, letting the long gorgeous hair fall to its owner's shoulders. Shindo's other hand grabbed the hair and pulled the other boy even closer, making the kiss deeper. The bleached banged boy couldn't think anymore.

But even this time it was Hikaru who broke off the kiss. Almost too afraid to look, Hikaru glanced down at the boy he had kissed only to see one wide eyed Touya. But the feelings he was scared to discover in his crush's face weren't there. A great deal of shock yes, but no disgust, no fear, no disappointment. In fact with dimmed eyes and flushed cheekbones, Akira looked content. In fact, he looked adorable.

"I wasn't sorry about the kiss, I am not sorry about the kiss!" Lifting Akira's chin Shindo made sure they had eye contact. "Do you accept that?"

The adorable boy beneath him, nodded slightly, his cheeks turning one shade closer to pink. Shyly Touya put his arms on the blond boy's shoulders, as if trying how it felt.

"So you didn't mind the kiss then?" The longhaired boy asked the question quietly and in an almost inaudible voice.

"No."

"So you don't hate me then?"

"No!"

The boy smiled faintly and slumped against Hikaru's chest, all the nervous tension had evidently left the green haired boy. The slim boy closed his eyes and sighed.

"I'm glad."

Disbelieving, Shindo stared at the boy. Who had thought Akira would be so open minded and accepting? He almost couldn't believe he had the withdrawn Touya, his Touya, snuggled up closely to him, face burrowed in his sweater. Shindo tried to clear his voice.

"I like you, you know. Akira. Is that okay for you? The words sounded thick and unclear in Hikaru's own ears.

"Yes" The muffled answer came after a long time. "I don't know what I feel, I just know that if I don't see you…" Akira hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing. "I don't know what to do…" He hid his face even deeper in Shindo's sweater. "I hope that is sufficient."

Akira wrapped his arms around Hikaru's waist, apparently not wanting to let go any time soon. Touya's forehead rested against the other boy's collarbone and Hikaru couldn't help but play with the green hair. Shindo looked down at his crush's content expression and relief surged through him. Every terrifying question had been answered. Well, almost. He smirked.

"So, was Waya better?"

A/N: The last chapter became a long one, I hope you have enjoyed it. Thanks for reading E-mail! The fluff was difficult to write, was it good, sweet or ridiculous? What do you think about the story? Please, please review!