Hello. It's been a long time hasn't it? No goddamn excuses from me, there aren't any. Figure I'll just update when I can? Thank you all for your support and comments! It really means a lot to me. Now without further ado-

"You yourself will have to change first, or nothing will change for you."- Sakata Gintoki

Chapter 4: Changes

"Would you stop doing that?" Waya let out an exasperated huff.

"Doing what?"

"That!" he pointed at Hikaru, who was scrutinizing the card for the umpteenth time that day.

"Well I still can't find where it says it's an open invitation," she set it aside and took another hearty slurp of her favorite miso ramen. "Mmm-this is really good, you've outdone yourself old man!"

"Nothing less for a regular," the chef laughed while trying to balance a few dishes for the table behind. Hikaru had forced Waya to the stools right by the counter with claims of how it enhanced the ramen eating experience.

"Nothing less for half the restaurant's income more like," the boy quietly grumbled. "Just where is all that food going?"

He eyed Hikaru, almost certain he'd find some semblance of a void around her where she'd be inconspicuously stuffing the food. Unfazed, she set the second bowl aside and started digging into the third one.

He sighed. He wanted to go to a sushi place.

"Oi. I eat, you pay, I take you to Whitey's little cult gathering," she snapped, reminding him of their sordid agreement.

"Okay, first off, I didn't agree to three-

"Four," she smugly corrected, while yelling out another order of shoyu ramen with "extra nori, okay old man? Don't forget the extra nori, the core essence of flavorful ramen."

"I didn't agree to four bowls of ramen, okay? No one does that, well except maybe Kurata-Judan, but that's besides the point. Second of all, I swear if you call Ogata-Oza Whitey at his session, I'll..I'll..." he faltered as he racked his mind for a threat that would at least wipe the smile off her pretty -goddamit focus- face.

"You'll what?" If it were even possible, her smirk stretched more.

"Oh, I don't know! But imagine terrible unfortune befalling you, you smartass!" He turned his abashed face away from her.

"Kind of you to notice, Waya."

He turned back around, furiously pointing at her, "You know that's not what I meant, so stop twisting around everything I say!"

"One bowl of shoyu ramen with extra nori, coming right up!" The chef placed the bowl in front of Hikaru, who elatedly picked her chopsticks up again.

"Isn't that...the fundamental...of conversational skills?" she asked through breathing breaks.

Waya chose not to comment on this. "I don't think that constitutes as conversation, Shindo. Selective attention? Maybe."

"You ever heard of selective advantage Waya?"

"What's that?"

"I don't know, but I think I'm supposed to, or so my quiz today thinks. I think, that quizzes are extremely selective in what they ask. Keep it more open you know?"

"Meh, it's why I dropped out in the first place. I don't have to deal with that shit, and I get to focus on Go. It's a good deal."

Hikaru stopped slurping, the idea of people dropping school for go unimaginable to her.

"You dropped? Wow, that's a smart move."

He chuckled, "My parents didn't think so either. I made enough money to move out though. Why wouldn't I drop out?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because if you fail miserably enough you don't even get paid anymore?"

"But that didn't happen."

"Yet," she jabbed a chopstick at his face, before returning it rightfully to the bowl, where she began compiling all the nori she still hadn't devoured.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He furrowed his brows, still disoriented at the idea of being almost stabbed in the eye by a chopstick.

"Nothing," she shrugged, downing the rest of the bowl. "Ah! Let's do this again Waya."

"Like hell we are," he said, while fisting a bunch of bills out of his wallet. He just wasted money worth a tutoring session on ramen.

"Thank you for dining here! You're welcome anytime young man," the chef winked at Waya, who was paying while Hikaru waited outside.

"She's a lively girl, that one, but her heart's in the right place. Good luck." He laughed heartily.

Waya contemplated telling the man that no, it wasn't like that, or even close for that matter, but left with a "thanks" and heavy, sullen steps out.

As soon as he got out, Hikaru pushed herself off the wall she was leaning on and jogged excitedly ahead. "Let's go to the arcade next!" She yelled behind.

"Okay, just what is this exactly? It's not even a date."

He just wanted to attend one of Ogata-Oza's famed sessions. It was a known fact that he hasn't much patience for teaching, but he gathered interesting people there. He glanced at the girl besides him. She looked like an average high schooler, the popular girl perhaps, only she plays go, and she's really good at it apparently. Anything slightly quirky qualified as interesting in Ogata's books. Being the normal person he is in a group of weirdos, he was probably going to stand out. What a thought, him standing out.

"You can call it whatever you want to," she shrugged.

Oh and her insufferable personality. Right. How could he forget?

"A financial ploy is about right," he decided accordingly.

She patted his back, almost proud even. "A financial ploy it is, then! Might as well enjoy it."

"Might as well enjoy dying," he threw off handedly.

She poked him, struggling not to laugh, "Oh, don't be a killjoy."

"Trust me, I'm not the one doing the killing."

"You were right, you suck at killing. Couldn't you have at least taken down the weaklings?" Hikaru huffed angrily, pointing on his side of the screen with her red plastic gun.

"I don't play silly shooter games," he discarded his own fake gun before turning to face her. "Now Zelda-" he began.

"Oh please not again."

"Zelda was Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka's gift to mankind. The most highly acclaimed game of all time, it has sold over 62 million-"

"Copies worldwide and is considered by Empire as 'the most vividly-realised world and the most varied game-play of any title on any console'. Please stop before you turn me into Zelda wikia."

"Shindo."

"What?"

"I'm so proud of you. You remembered all that," he patted her shoulder while 'wiping' a stray tear.

"With the way you've been going on about it a deaf man would hear again. Then he'd pray for deafness again, 'Oh, mercy. Lord I didn't want to know that Cody Rhodes' wrestling boots had a Triforce symbol.'"

"Aw c'mon, now that was one interesting fact," he uselessly argued. They both knew that was the stupidest fact to ever cross mankind.

"And like all facts in life, it's anything but applicable, not even as a conversation starter. Like I'd go, 'Hey, did you know Cody Rhodes has Zelda boots?' or something?"

"I did that once you know. It wasn't that bad. Well, except for the part where I had to explain who Cody Rhodes was," he admitted.

"Not too many people would recognize middle aged, white wrestlers from Georgia, and that poses the bigger issue, I think." she despondently decided.

He snorted. "Right? Finally, I was getting tired of people not getting it. Never expected you to know anything about WCPW."

"I'm more into soccer, actually. Wrestling gets boring after the first few fake take downs." she commented as they stepped outside into the chilly weather.

"Naw, that's when it gets interesting. You just watch the match spiraling down into downright plastic. Then you start guessing at what point most people would notice."

"But they don't," she deadpanned.

"But they don't," he agreed. "And that's quality entertainment, I tell ya."

"You should watch those American reality shows then. It's shocking the amount of things they can use as a prop for drama," she suggested.

"When those girls fought over plastic cups?"

"Done."

"Modeling through a pendulum filled obstacle course?"

"What are safety regulations?" she shrugged.

"Watermelon slingshots?"

They both burst out laughing.

"Like we're ones to talk. Whoever makes our game shows made me lose what remains of my grip on reality," Hikaru wheezed, "I swear I can't handle those."

"Remember...when...people were thrown...into bottomless pits," he laughed, "for answering questions wrong? Who does that? How's that even entertainment, heck no one could answer those, might as well just throw them in!"

"Well yeah, that's sure to bring the ratings soaring, anticlimactic and all," she added.

"Yeah," Waya agreed, as both their laughter quieted down.

Hikaru smiled, "Hey Waya..."

"Yeah?"

"Let's do this kinda thing again."

She had fun. Conversation never lagged and Waya was interesting. He got all her jokes, maybe got annoyed at the less nice ones, but his reactions were funny at least. What she liked most though, was his bluntness. He had this tendency of speaking his mind like it was the natural thing to do, like it was abnormal to skirt around a question or comment. He just went straight to the topic at hand.

He went still, a serious look of contemplation on his face. "Yeah, we should. But not before Ogata-Oza's session alright?"

"You think I'm gonna lie?" She wailed. "fie, what must thee bethink of me?"

"Methinks thee wilt findeth t opportune to manipulate mine wallet," he sighed, "maybe after you pay what is due I shall grant you the right of hanging out again."

"Alas, I am poor and helpless. Wherefore would thee asketh me for anything?"

"I paid for your dinner and entertained you for the evening, what else do you ask of me?"

"Dinner next week. We can go to that sushi place you wanted."

"We could?" He quirked a skeptical brow.

"Take it or leave it Waya," she walked past him, giving him a little wave.

"I'm taking it, I'm taking it!" He yelled hurriedly before standing to think of the happenings that day.

"Shindo-san would it kill you if you paid attention? Those are fairly important vocabulary words you'll be needing for the exam." Hikaru's English teacher, Mitsuki, huffed in irritation. Not that the girl cared about her class per se, but these days she'd been acting completely strange. She'd sneak glances at her at random intervals and let out muffled chortles of amusement. Well maybe not so random seeing certain words triggered the mirth of the rather…unique student. Mitsuki had even taken it upon herself to compile said words through trial and error, and found it to make quite a diverse list with seemingly no inherent pattern at all. These included the following in no specific order: '[nationalist, business, patrol, and radioactive contamination]'. The word that garnered the biggest reaction though, she realized, was kitty, which is incidentally how she greeted her students every morning. The girl would outright snort at that one.

Snapping out of the rather deep conversation she was having with Sai about the merits of sleeping instead of attending any of Mitsuki's classes, to which Sai was wholesomely agreeing to, Hikaru managed a distracted, "I am paying attention."

Mitsuki arched a newly plucked brow, if the swollen abscesses were of any indication. "Well then, Shindo-san, I'm sure you can share with us the significance of 'nationalism' in bettering our country, I suppose?"

Sai, who in his mind thought nationalism as a social uprising of thieves and criminals, took an exaggerated gasp. 'The significance? What is this woman saying?!'

Hikaru coughed. "Well, um, I would say it certainly is most significant Mitsuki-sensei."

The class chuckled at her roundabout answer.

'It most certainly is not, look at all those hole-filled garments people are sporting these days. And the streets!' Sai wailed dramatically.

Mistuki looked unimpressed. "Your answer doesn't reflect much comprehension of the term I'm afraid. Anyone who was paying attention willing to try?"

As usual, Mitsuki's wannabe pet, Yosuke, excitedly pitched his arm almost out of its socket. "Ahem, allow me Mitsuki-sensei," he snuck what he thought a suave glance at her, before beginning when she gave him an indifferent nod. Apparently the cool act was part of her charm Yosuke thinks, the poor sod. "Nationalism has influence over the economic growth of a country, negative or positive, but in a political sense-"

"Yes, yes. Thank you very much Yosuke-san," she drawled in that bored tone of hers, like she'd rather be filing her nails right now, or even better, fixing her cakey foundation.

To his credit, Yosuke took it in stride. He puffed his scrawny chest out, "No problem. You know I haven't really-"

"Yeah that was quite enlightening Yosuke," Hikaru innocently added and cut him off.

Mitsuki-sensei gave her a look that was both grateful and irritated.

"Hey," Akari nudged Hikaru, momentarily tearing her attention from the book she was reading.

"Hey yourself," Hikaru heartily smiled. She found herself missing Akari, what with her dedication of after school hours to Go. For an entire week, she visited all sorts of Go salons Waya had recommended her, and then some. Though he was unusually insistent on avoiding an inconspicuous looking salon called Heart of Stone for no clear reason other than 'avoiding egocentric assholes'. This, of course, combined with her newfound urge to piss the boy off, only served to flame her curiosity. She promised herself she would look into it later.

"What're you reading?" Akari nodded her head in the direction of the book she had stowed away. "It's been a while since I last saw you read anything." Hikaru used to be an energetic child you could never find in the same place twice, for she was far too busy exploring, she called it. But almost every night she'd curl up in bed with a book, tales of grand knights and the eternal pursuit of dreams and treasure. Akari remembers looking down on the distant minded girl, who insistently believed a treasure was dedicated for her, somewhere out there, just waiting to be found. Being the responsible and more mature one, she ran after her friend, making sure she wouldn't get into too much trouble, though it somehow ended with her being dragged into it. It was not until much later, when they'd both grew out of their roles that Akari found herself missing it. It seemed like she was the one doing all the dragging the past few years. Recently though, Hikaru seemed lighter. Her eyes more purposeful, their crinkles more pronounced.

"Oh this thing? Hm, just a Go book I found interesting."

Go? Go that old game her grandfather used to play with them? The one they distractedly sat through, only to run off and play with the neighborhood kids? She blinked.

"I honestly didn't see that coming. I don't know what I was expecting, but definitely not go. Did the old man finally convince you?"

"You can say that," Hikaru nodded hesitantly. An old man did convince her, but not the one Akari was probably thinking of. One with envy inducing, Pantene advert purple hair, and ghostly pale idol skin. An old man, yes.

"Well I can't say I get the appeal, but if you like it I suppose that's good," she manages to say. She still can't wrap her head around it.

"Is he paying you to read it?" she tries to reason.

"No, he isn't!" Hikaru huffs, trying to look offended, "Do you really think that low of me Akari?" she pouts.

Akari scratches her head. Go. Where else has she ran across that game? She feels like the term has been recently mentioned but by whom? In one of their outings, one of thei-

"That guy! Waya, was it? He was a go player wasn't he? Hikaru, I didn't know you were that serious about him!" she exclaims, face like a flashing light bulb. She almost looks too proud.

Damn Akari's perceptiveness. She hasn't got it exactly right, but she still has deduction that could get her in trouble one day. A detective when she puts her mind to it. Now she could come out and admit the whole truth, that she has been haunted by a go playing ghost for months, and has been marionetted to obey his every command until she took interest in the game herself, or the half lie that yes, she has a girlish crush on Waya and wanted to nauseatingly learn more about his interests. Both options are a no go for obvious reasons. Think Hikaru, think.

"I am not into him! Sheesh. It's like a girl can't read go manuals for herself anymore!" Deflect, deflect, deflect.

That only made her more suspicious in Akari's narrowing eyes. She smirks. She delivers. "You don't need to get so riled up. I think its cute."

Cute? Hikaru's face scrunches. It's anything but cute, she doesn't even think about Waya in that sense. Sure he's easy on the eyes- she's not blind- but she thought of him as a friend. A close one. They'd been spending a lot of time together, texting about go, how their days went, and he's even gotten her playing Zelda, which she begrudgingly admitted is pretty good. As much as she likes Waya, his stupid proud smile, and his easily flustered self, it's never beyond that, she thinks. She's just asking for future misunderstandings if she left Akari thinking otherwise.

"Akari," she grabs her shoulders firmly, "I swear you'll be the first to know if I ever like someone, but this" she paused and shook her head, "This ain't it chief."

The girl in hand struggled to keep a serious face. "Then tell me what it is."

"I want to get stronger."

Decisive eyes. A statement. A statement Akari doesn't know what to make of.

"You want to get…stronger?"

"I was playing go with gramps, and I don't know what changed- it's like that same old game- but it did- or I did. If I had to describe it, it was like I saw it from another person's eyes: it was all black and white and meaningless patterns –but then I saw—I saw the strings, the groups, the territories; I wanted so badly to play-to feel a part of it…but I couldn't, do you know how frustrating that felt?"

"What do you mean you couldn't Hikaru? Weren't you the one playing to begin with?" Akari puzzled.

"I suppose I was," Hikaru sheepishly smiled, "I saw, but I didn't understand. Not fully anyways. It didn't feel like I was playing- I wasn't giving it justice. I decided that day that I wanted to learn so that I could."

Akari couldn't say that she fully understood either. Not what Hikaru was rambling about, nor the glow in her eyes as she did; but she didn't have to.

"That's- I'm glad to hear that Hikaru. You seem like you've found something you really want to do," she smiled, "other than Waya," Akari couldn't help but teasingly add.

"That's not it! Akari I swear to God if you don't stop that I'll seriously pull up some old shit we both agreed to bury!" she playfully punched Akari's shoulder.

"Fine, fine! No more Waya jokes-" she gasped between bouts of laughter, "for today!"

"April 7th, it was the first day of high school—"

"No, stop!" she uselessly interjected.

"You introduce yourself, and say—"

"Stoooooooop!"

Hikaru laughs boisterously, and after angrily sputtering, Akari relents, and finds herself lost in genuine laughter for the first time in a while.