Disclaimer: I don't own Hikaru no Go.

"blahblahblah" Character's dialogue

blahblahblah Character's thought

Chapter 5: Who knows what? & Should I be back?

Room 516 (Yongha-Akira)

Today isn't my lucky day. Sitting at a table, Akira looked at his things-to-do-in-Osaka List and let out a heavy sigh.

3. Spend enjoyable quality time with Shindou as much as you can.

Needlessly to say, I failed miserably, didn't I?

Not only Shindou had completely ditched him today, he had left him to be with Ko Yongha, of all people. Akira shook his head in dejection. With an exception from Go, Shindou was rarely serious about anything but when he was, he could be surprisingly determined. Stupid Shindou, if you want to play a matchmaker, at least get a right couple! He looked up from the list, glanced toward the bathroom where Ko Yongha was taking a shower, heaved another sigh of weariness for the third time, put the list into a drawer of the table, leaned back in a wooden chair and closed his eyes. Just one more day, just tolerate him for one more day. Then it will be over, you will have Shindou for yourself again.

However, he wasn't so naïve to believe that once the Korean pro returned to his hometown, the path to Shindou's heart would be carpeted with flowers, that their life would be 'la vie en rose' and that they would have a happy ever after together. On the contrary, he foresaw tons of troubles waiting for him. Besides the fact that he had to tell Shindou that he did not love Ko Yongha, he had to tell him who he was in love with as well. In short, he had to confess to Shindou Hikaru. He knew that the blond wouldn't despise him, that's for sure, considering that his cousin was a homosexual too. Even so, having a gay cousin and having a gay eternal rival falling for you were totally different matters. What if Shindou freaked out? What if he rejected him saying that he wouldn't want to risk their friendship for romance? What if things became awkward between them? If so, would they be able to look at each other in the eyes the same way ever again? Would he lose Shindou by simply saying the 'L' word?

Being turned down was miserable but getting a 'yes' didn't mean that heavenly future was lying ahead either. If Shindou accepts his love, then what? Should they remain hidden? Or should they come out of the closet? If they keep their relationship a secret, will they have to spend the rest of their life pretending to be someone they aren't? Didn't it mean that they lie to everyone including themselves? That they were ashamed of themselves? But then again, if they choose to tell the truth, how will people react? How would his parents handle it? How would the public think about it? Or should they tell the people who deserved to know; family and close friends only? Like a semi-coming out? In that case, those people would be dragged into this tangled web of lies as well. He didn't think he couldn't live with that, and he believed Shindou couldn't either.

You're thinking too much again, Akira. He stopped himself from thinking too far ahead. Just one step at a time, okay? First, you have to do a damage control here, tell him the truth. Remember plan No. 4 and 5 in the list? Fourth, use your best endeavor to explain to Shindou that you're not in love with he-whom-you-hate-to-name. Fifth, use your best endeavor to explain to Shindou that you're in love with him (Shindou, not he-whom-you-hate-to-name) he silently recited.

Then what's next? His indecisive part queried.

After that what happen happens, we'll cross the bridge when we come to it. The firm Akira stated. Be positive, having Shindou think that we're in love with Ko Yongha is the worst, we're already at the bottom of abyss here, things can't get any worse.

Room 515 (Waya-Isumi room)

Waya spread on his bed, exhausted.

It had been a long day. First, Shindou, the historical mania friend of his, had dragged them to Osaka Castle. Then, Ogata, the fish freak, had forced them to visit Osaka Aquarium. Good thing that he had been able to relax and enjoy the food when they had lunched at Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho, the 1960-styled food theme park in Tempozan Market Place next to the Aquarium.

Still, it would have been great if things, at least once, had gone his way. Was it too much to ask?

Shindou, being a noodle hardcore fan, had insisted that they had Bukkake Udon at Bukkake Juso.

"Since it's kinda hot today, why don't we have Bukkake Udon?" the blond had suggested.

Sure, having a bowl of cold Udon served with half-cooked boiled egg and Bonito flakes on a hot day like this was somewhat logical. But Waya knew better. It had nothing to do with the weather; his friend had said it simply because he liked noodles.

Sadly, everyone (except Waya) had agreed; they had been fooled by Shindou's innocent green eyes.

Damn.

To tell the truth, Waya himself preferred to have Okonomiyaki at Beoteju, or curried rice with raw egg at Jiyuken, or Ikayaki (Japanese-style pancake with sliced squid) at Momodani. In a word, anything would be fine…anything, except noodles.

After they had finished having lunch, they had gone shopping. There were hundreds of shops in the Tempozan Market Place. While they have been shopping around, Yashiro had insisted them to try spicy curry buns from Dotabataya, Takoyaki from Aizuya, the original creator of Takiyaki, Mitarashi Dango (dumplings with soy sauce and sugar based sauce) from Okashitsukasa Moriguchi Tsukushi, and Kushikatsu (deep fried skewered foods) from Katsu. In the end, Waya, who was nearly death from eating too much, got a box of beef buns with Matsuzaka beef mince from Matsuzaka Suzuya, two packs of Teyaki Senbei (hand-baked rice crackers) from Terakoya Honpo as souvenirs for his folks.

By the time they had returned to the hotel, it had already been late afternoon. However, the Go seminar hadn't closed yet so they had surveyed it and played with some Osaka pros till night before having dinner and gone back to their room.

It had been a long day indeed.

Waya wanted to kill someone (mainly, Yashiro for shoving those foods into his mouth despite his protest and Shindou for making him have noodles instead of Sushi for lunch) but he was too tired.

Speaking of Shindou, he has been acting strange.

His intuition told him that something was definitely off about this trip, and that it wasn't just an overnight job like it appeared to be.

First, Ko Yongha, of all people, had tagged along with them.

Then, Shindou had volunteered to be Ogata-Sensei's roommate.

Besides, Waya wasn't blind to notice the way his younger friend had intentionally stuck with the Judan while they had been at the Aquarium.

If I didn't know any better, I would think that Shindou falls for Ogata-Sensei. He smiled with amusement. He knew it would never happen since Shindou himself always went on and on about how creepy the man was.

There's no way that Shindou would stick with Ogata-Sensei on his own record, he must have a reason. A strange reason but a reason nevertheless, that's Shindou for you. He snickered and rolled over. With his eyes closed, he took some time to ponder the situation. A chance for Shindou liking Ogata-Sensei is zero percent. Ha! If someone tells me that Touya is secretly dating Ko Yonga, it would be more believable!

Like thunder struck, the scene of Ko Yongha pinning Touya Akira against the wall flashed in his mind in that instant.

Waya's eyes snapped open. A bright and dazzling light from heaven (which was actually just a light tube on the ceiling) shed upon him.

And then, there was enlightenment.

That's it! It makes perfect sense now! Why did Ko Yongha come with us! Why did Shindou want to change the room and glue himself with Ogata-Sensei! It's because…He got up and called loudly, "Isumi-san!"

Isumi, who was trying to stuff a big box of Warabimochi; jelly-like sweets made from bracken starch and dipped in grounded soybean flour, into his baggage, replied with faint interest. "Yes?"

Waya blurted out, "I think Touya Akira is secretly seeing Ko Yongha!"

The young man gradually turned around, confusion evident on his face. "Huh?" was his reply.

Waya put on his serious look and nodded in affirmation.

Isumi merely blinked in response, shook his head, turned to his baggage and continue to arrange the packed luggage to make room for the sweets. "Get real, Waya."

The younger pro didn't give up. He crawled to the edge of the bed to close the distance between them. "It's as real as it can be, Isumi-san!" he stood firm.

"Waya," the black haired pro started. Waya recognized that tone of voice; it was the tone that Isumi specially preserved for him, the 'big brother' tone. "Listen, there is no-"

"I mean it, Isumi-san!" Waya cut in before the lecture could start since if it did, it would never end. Changing his pose, he sat on the bed and leaned towards Isumi who sat on the floor. "When we first checked in, Ogata-Sensei planned to share a room with Touya, right? Then Shindou requested to change the room. I mean, yes, Shindou is far from what we call a sane person with reasonable judgment. But to be Ogata-Sensei's roommate, of all people! This is insane, even for Shindou! Didn't you wonder why on earth he did that? What possessed him to do that?"

Isumi turned around to face him and admitted. "Well, I can't say that I'm not curious about that."

"I just realize that it's not that Shindou want to share a room with Ogata-Sensei," the red head spoke, "Hell, no one in a right mind wants that, no one wants that guy to be in 3 meters range."

"Waya,"

"Oh, right, except Ashiwara-Sensei," he pretended to misread his friend's warning tone.

"Waya!

"Anyway," he continued, "Like I said, Shindou didn't want to share the room with Ogata-Sensei," he repeated, "but, to help Touya, he had no choice."

The older pro frowned, questions written on his handsome face. "Help Touya?"

"You have to look at the situation from a different view," suggested Waya. "Shindou didn't want to share the room with Ogata-Sensei," he repeated it for the third time and then explained, "what he really wanted is that Touya and Ko Yongha share a room."

"Huh?" Isumi obviously didn't get it. Waya couldn't blame him though; it took him a while to solve this so-called mystery. "Sorry, but I'm lost here."

"Think about it, Isumi-san," Waya said it slowly like he did when he taught Go to a little kid, "Why did Ko Yongha insist to come with us all the way to Osaka? Do you honestly think that he's interested in any pros from Kansai Institution? Of course not, this is the guy who insulted Shusaku two years ago we're talking about. He doesn't take Japanese pros seriously. The only reason he's here is because he wants to be with someone."

"And that someone is Touya Akira?" Isumi wasn't convinced at all. "Really, Waya. If Ko Yongha is in love with someone, that one is Shindou," he argued. "Did you forget what he said on the opening night? He said, as I quote, 'At first I thought that the first Hokuto Cup was a waste of time but a certain Japanese pro proved me wrong,'" he recited Ko Yongha's speech. "In the Go world, it can be counted as a marriage proposal."

"Well, may be he thought it's a new way to get his boyfriend's, a.k.a., Touya's, attention. Hell, I don't know!" Waya cursed. "You know that the word 'normal' doesn't apply to them since they're special," he spoke sarcastically. "At any rate, if Shindou and Ko Yongha are together, why did he bother to switch the room? Wouldn't it be convenient for them to be in the same room?" he challenged his friend's theory.

"Hmm, may-maybe, he thinks it's…," Isumi blushed red, "awkward for them to spend two nights together? I guess."

Man, suddenly this conversation is going to a very strange direction. Waya shook his head violently to chase away an unpleasant image from his head. "However, that's not gonna happen. Isumi-san, if you know Shindou as well as I do, you will know that Ko Yongha is not his type. They're too different. Touya Akira, on the other hand, seems to have so much in common with that Korean."

"They're both genius." Arms folded across the chest, Isumi said it with a nod as if backing up his idea.

Waya snorted. "I mean to say that they both are stuck-up rich daddy's boy but that will do too."

"Waya,"

"Fine, back to the topic. They're together, I'm telling you. I saw it with my very own eyes." He pointed at the eyes with his fingers.

Leaning forward, the young man asked curiously, "What did you saw?"

Waya told his temporary roommate what he had seen earlier this morning causing him gape with bewilderment.

"Unbelievable," Isumi whispered.

"Don't you tell me that you didn't see the way Shindou distance himself from Touya? You know how buddy-buddy those two are but today he hardly spoke to him. Didn't you find it strange when he insisted that Touya sat next to Ko Yongha during lunch and when we took a taxi back to the hotel?

"Now that you mention it," Isumi thought back. "Touya did sit next to Ko Yongha during dinner too."

"See?" Waya, the so-called Sherlock Holmes, got up and started pacing around, his hand moved dramatically. "Everything Shindou did is for Touya to be with Ko Yongha as much as they could! Although he is a crazy loudmouth brat, you gotta accept that he has a kind soul at the heart. There is no reason for him to offer himself as a sacrificial lamb to Satan, unless it's for the sake of his lifetime rival."

"Hmm," Isumi rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "That sounds like something Shindou will do." Although he didn't approve the way his friend referred to the Judan as Satan, he couldn't find any flaws in his assumption.

"I really want to know how they get together, I'm gonna ask Shindou tomorrow." Waya decided.

"What?" Isumi exclaimed. "We're not going to ask Shindou or anyone about this." His tone was hard.

"What?" Now, it was Waya who cried out. "Why not?"

"Think, Waya." Isumi was in his big brother mode again. "Apart from Ko Yongha and Touya himself, Touya thinks that Shindou is the only one who knows about them. If words get out, Touya will think that Shindou leaks his secret. Do you want to jeopardize their friendship?"

"Yes," Waya's voice showed no hesitation.

"Waya!" Isumi scolded and shook his head tiredly. "Listen, Who Touya dates, no matter it's a boy or a girl, a go player or not, is not our business. We have no right to meddle," he lectured.

"But,"

"Waya,"

"Fine!" Waya reluctantly conceded. "For Shindou's sake, I won't tell! Are you happy now?" With his arms crossed over the chest, he grumbled, "Man, I can't believe I'm saying this but Ochi was right; getting involved with Shindou only brings nothing but headache!"

Room 514 (Ogata-Hikaru room)

I should have stopped him. Hikaru thought while pouring water into a wineglass. Really, I should have stopped him.

After dinner, the Osaka pros who had treated them the meal had invited Ogata to have a drink. As expected, the man had gladly accepted the invitation.

As a result, Hikaru had to deal with a half-drunk Ogata again.

Well, at least it's better than last time.

The notorious Judan now slumped onto a sofa, drunken. Hikaru strolled to the sofa, placed the glass on the coffee table in front of the man and sat opposite to him. "You shouldn't have drunk this much, not especially when you have a game to play next morning."

"Ha! It's just a demonstration game. No big deal," the suppose-to-be-a-chaperone waved his hand while shaking his head violently, "Beside I'll win for sure." He said it with an arrogant smirk.

"Still,"

Pointing at the boy, Ogata cut off his protest. "You're annoying. I never have thought that you're such a nagging mother."

At that, Hikaru almost snapped. Excuse me, a nagging mother? Me? A nagging mother? Ha! If I were a nagging mother, what Touya is then? His patience was wearing thin. He then spoke through his gritted teeth, "And it's this nagging mother who took care of you last night."

"Hmm, in that case I guess I owe a 'thank you'," Ogata shrugged his shoulder and said, "Thanks."

Geez, he even acts smug when he thanks someone. "You know what, you do have a unique and frustrating way to thank people," Hikaru spoke dryly, yet, he admitted that hearing it loosen his irritation. "You're welcome." He refilled the empty wineglass in the older man's in hand.

The so-call babysitter gazed at flowing water from a bottle into his glass. "Who would have thought that Shindou Hikaru is good at taking care of people? Wonders never cease, do they?"

Hikaru snorted at that. "I'll take it as a compliment. For your information, I had some training." I lived with the demanding ghost nearly three years and no one else saw him so I had no choice but took care of him myself.

Ogata raised the wineglass up as if letting it bathe the light from the light tube. "Hmm, wonder who gave you the training. Whoever he is, he surely did a pretty good job." He took a sip of water spoke quietly. "It's a déjà vu, isn't it?"

Hikaru didn't catch it. "Huh?"

The man placed the wineglass on the table. With his arm on the armrest of the sofa bent up, and with his chin on his fist, he looked straight at his young roommate. "How long is it now? Two? Or three year ago? When we were in Kyoto."

Damn. Hikaru's heart stopped beating for a second.

"Back then, I drank a little too much," Ogata thought back at the memory.

Ha! 'Little' my ass! Hikaru wanted to protest but decided not to.

"We sat opposite like this,"

You don't have to make it sound so romantic!

"and played a game," Ogata's voice was almost inaudible.

Oh, crap. Hikaru panicked, to say at least.

"…never been beaten like that before,"

Damn. Damn. Damn.

"..felt like playing against Sa-"

Damn. Damn.

"Sa…" the Judan then dozed off.

He falls asleep? "Man, that was close." Sighing in relief, the blond swept sweat on the forehead. "Just one more day," he told himself, "tomorrow it'll be over."

Next day, New Otani Hotel (Osaka), in a convention hall

Waya Yoshitaka loves reading mysterious novel. The challenge of predicting who the real culprit is and the thrill of finding what his or her secret is; these were alluring to him. In short, Waya Yoshitaka loves solving mystery. That was the main reason why he loves Go. He considers it as his duty to tell the world about the truth about the biggest mystery; the Hand of God.

And this was also the reason why he was so agitated at this very moment. One of the biggest, strangest, and most unbelievable enigma ever happened in the history of mankind was happening in front of his very own eyes, and the best source that could give all information he wanted (Shindou) was right here, sitting at a desk less than 10 meters away of him giving a lesson to a bunch of old men.

Yet, he couldn't go there and ask him about it…Damn.

He signed and looked around. To Shindou's right was Ko Yongha. The night before, Ogata had informed the organizers that the great Ko Yongha, the winner of Hokuto Cup, came all the way from Tokyo just to join their humble seminar. The officers and the sponsors had almost exploded with delight and had been working non-stop to reschedule their program to make sure that the celebrated Korean have a chance to show his skill to the public. Ko Yongha had ended up having a demonstration game against an Osaka pro whom Waya didn't know on a stage this morning. He had won, of course, unsurprisingly for the Prince of Baduk. He was now chatting amiably with his fangirls.

To Shindou's left was Touya Akira who was playing multiple teaching games with 3 middle aged men while surrounded by god-only-know-how-many-people.

Attention Seeking Couple, that what they are. He thought.

Half an hour later, Waya's teaching game ended. His work was finally done. He bowed to his clients, got up and stretched his arms lazily. Ogata-Sensei's game will start in any minute. Then we go back home. He glanced at his watch. There was still time left so he decided to have a short break. He exited the convention hall and headed to the lobby. Can't ask Touya. Can't ask Ko Yongha. Can't ask Shindou. What to do? What to do? He asked himself. While he was thinking about his next move, suddenly he found himself looked at another key to unlock this mystery. At the lobby, Yashiro Kiyoharu was sitting alone, drinking a bottle of Ramune. Apparently, the white haired pro had finished his lesson and was taking a break too.

Yashiro? Hmm… Although he's not close to Shindou as much as I am, he gets along with Touya better than I do. Besides, he stayed with them at the hotel during both Hokuto Cup… maybe he knows something. "Hey, Yashiro," greeted Waya.

Yashiro looked up. "Oh, hi. Waya." He moved to give him a room to sit.

Waya accepted the unspoken invitation and sat on the sofa. An awkward silence engulfed them. Yashiro didn't have anything to say to him so he remained silent. Waya, on the other hand, had many things to say to him but didn't know how to begin. How to start? 'Hey, Yashiro. Can I ask you something? Do you know about Touya's secret love affair with Ko Yongha?' won't do. Plus, if I just ask him directly, and it turns out that he doesn't know about this before, I will become a leaker. Maybe I should beat around the bush a bit. "Ne, Yashiro," he started.

"Yeah?"

He took a deep breath before asking. "Do you know about them?" About Touya dating Ko Yongha…

Confused, the white-haired pro tilted his head to his side. "Them?"

"You know, 'them'."

Yashiro blinked in surprise. Them? This is what I think it is? Sure, it wasn't Yashiro's nature to act like a gossipy housewife but it was hard to not to talk to anyone about this. He looked at Waya doubtfully. "By 'them' you mean..?" He wanted to make sure that he and the red haired pro were on the same page.

The other pro gave him a meaningful look and replied, "Them, those two who tried to hide it but failed miserably."

Now, Yashiro was 100% certain that they were talking about the same thing. What else could he mean? After a moment, he said. "So, you know?" that Touya and Ko Yongha fighting over Shindou.

Waya nodded. "So, you too, huh?"

"Yeah," Yashiro answered honestly. He leaned back against the sofa and sighed in relief. It felt great to get it off his chest. "Did Shindou tell you about them?" From what he had gathered, Waya Yoshitaka was Shindou's best friend so it would be natural for the blond to tell him about this.

"Nah," Waya waved his hand in denial, "He's never uttered a word about this."

"I see." It makes sense though. How can a guy tell another guy other that there are two other guys falling for him anyway?

"I figured it out myself," the Tokyoite explained. "It's quite clear if you take a good look at those two."

"You're right," agreed Yashiro. True to his words, although Touya and Ko Yongha tried their best to suppress their hatred toward each other, the tension was still there.

"Besides, Shindou has been acting weird too."

Again, there was no fault in his statement. He knew what Waya meant. The Shindou Hikaru they knew would rather stop playing Go than sharing the bedroom with Ogata-Judan, and that definitely meant something considering that he's a Go pro. Shindou must have been so confused. Plus, seeing Touya and Ko Yongha fighting over his attention didn't help either. Maybe this is why he was so clingy to Ogata-Sensei ...using him as a buffer to avoid those two.

Breaking his train of thoughts, Waya mentioned, "You know, although I'm quite sure about them, a small part of me still doubts. I mean, they are the Princes of Go we're talking about, who would have thought that they would…" he stopped, refusing to say the word out loud.

that they would be in love with the loudmouth punk like Shindou, you mean. Yashiro crossed his arms over his chest and nodded understandingly. "I know how you feel, I felt the same when I first discovered about them."

"What about you?" Waya wondered. "Did Shindou tell you?"

"Hell, no," Yashiro laughed softly. Back then, the blond didn't have any clue about it. He's so slow. " I figured it out myself too."

"I see. How long do you know this?"

"Since the 2nd Hokuto Cup started," he revealed. "You said it yourself that it's obvious but it took Shindou a while before realizing what was going on. Speaking of it, does he know that you know?"

Waya shook his head. "Nope."

"I see,"

"Does Shindou know that you know?"

"He does," Yashiro replied. "After he finally put two and two together, he asked me for confirmation."

"Is that so?" Waya pondered. "What about Touya and Ko Yongha? Do they know that you know?"

The Osakan pro shrugged. "I don't know about Ko Yongha but I'm sure that Touya knows that I know." There was a shot pause. "And I think Hong Suyong knows too," he added.

"No surprise, he's Ko Yongha's best friend after all, " Waya reasoned.

"Are you going to tell Shindou that you know?"

"I want to but I can't," With his arms crossed, Waya grumbled, looking as if someone had snatched his favorite toy away, "Isumi-san says that if Shindou knows that we know, he's sure that somehow Touya will end up knowing that Shindou knows that we know, then Touya will think that…well, things won't be pretty between them."

"I see," there was a revelation hidden in that statement, "So Isumi-san knows too."

"Correct,"

"Hmm, then I will pretend not to know that you know," said Yashiro. "If Shindou knows that you know, and that I know that you know, he may be curious how you know, and how I know that you know, but I don't think he will get mad." Man, this is getting more and more complicated. "But I have no idea how Touya and Ko Yongha will react when they know that we know, and that Shindou knows that we know since I'm pretty sure they don't want people to know. " that two of the most refined and promising Go prodigies in our generation battling for a brat, Shindou Hikaru, of all people…

Looking determined, Waya made up his mind. "Okay then, I don't know what you know and you don't know that I know what you know." that two of the most bigheaded Go pros in our generation are dating each other. "This conversion never happens, okay?"

Yashiro asked innocently, "What conversation?"

It wasn't that Ogata intended to eavesdrop. He had been enjoying smoking a cigarette, spending his time leisurely at the lobby before familiar voices rose from behind. Once he turned around, he found that the owners of those voices were no strangers; they were the white haired Osaka boy and Shindou's best friend. Given that they sat with their back toward him, they didn't notice his presence and continued talking. See? He didn't eavesdrop on them. He merely overheard them.

After the boys were done with their secret, they left the lobby. Ogata was left alone to analyze the story he had overheard earlier.

What the hell they were talking about? was the first question came across his mind.

Who knows what?

That's not exactly right, isn't it? The problem is not 'who knows what', it's 'what they know'. He took a lungful of smoke, hoping that nicotine could help his brain become clearer. Let's see. It seems that originally there are three people involved in this; Akira, Shindou, and Ko Yongha. He was certain that it had something to do with his Kouhai and the Korean first board. He remembered Shindou's friend mentioning "Princes of Go" and the white haired Osakan punk even said their names out loud so it had to be them. Ogata exhaled the smoke and gazed at the white smoke in the air. Whatever it is, it's about Akira and Ko Yonga. Judging from Ya-Yashito? Is that his name? Whatever… judging from his tones, Shindou should have figured it out before him but somehow, maybe it's because of Shindou's obliviousness and lack of insight when it comes to things unrelated to Go, Yashito ended up solving the mystery first. What's more, he said that Akira didn't want the public to know. But it's okay for Akira that Shindou and Yashito know? Plus, it seems that that Ko Yongha's best friend knows too. So, is it something that can be revealed to close friends but not an outsider? A conspiracy? What kind of conspiracy involves Go anyway? A secret? The idea was ridiculous, he knew Akira before the prodigy even learned how to hold a stone. Akira wasn't the type that had a secret. (That was what Shindou did; having secrets.) The boy lived and breathed for Go. There was no secret to hide. Ogata leaned over and reached out to the ashtray on his coffee table. He extinguished the burning cigarette in the ashtray. It's not that Akira is a Hollywood star with a love affair. He froze. His eyes widened as a sudden realization struck him. Of course! A love affair! What else that Akira and Ko Yongha want to hide? What is it that it's fine for your best friend to know but not others? It's your love life! He thought back of what had happened during the past 2 days and chuckled softly. So, Shindou's trying to play cupid, huh? How nice of him. He then suddenly recalled that he was about to have a match. He rose, straightened his expensive white jacket and went to the convention hall. When he walked across the hall to the stage, he caught a glimpse of a known figure. It was Akira; his teacher's son, chatting with one of the sponsors. Unbeknownst to the boy, Ogata studied him for a short moment before letting out a sigh.. Well, I can't say that I'm surprised. After all, there're several signs. His unusual tidiness, his girly hair and that pink suit of his... He gracefully walked up to the stage. His opponent was already in his seat. Wonder if Sensei knows about it. When did it start anyway? He sat on another chair, exchanged greeting with the other pro with a slight bow and took a deep breathe with his eyes closed. Game first, Akira's sexual preference later. Then the game begun.

Although it was merely a demonstration match, the level of the game was exactly what Yongha had expected from the former Meijin's best student. Ogata Seiji was strong. It wasn't a fluke that he became the youngest Japanese title-holder right now.

"Hmm, I wonder why Ogata-Sensei plays at the upper-left corner," muttered Shindou from his left. "Attacking at the center is much better."

"I think it's a good move," Yongha voiced his opinion. "He manages to gain the whole upper territory."

His crush, however, disagreed. "But he will lose the center and the bottom-right corner," he argued. "He should have attacked instead of defending his territory."

"Although Ogata-san has the upper territory under his control from the start, it isn't well secured, there's still a leak," Touya spoke up from Shindou's left. "Secure your territory and attack your opponent's. It's a basic principle of Go,"

Yongha was bit taken aback. Touya is actually siding with me? That's new. He should have felt somewhat grateful, but somehow he didn't. With his irritating voice and that oh-so-mighty attitude of his, it's hard for me or anyone to be thankful.

"...even an amateur knows that, Shindou."

Ha! See? You did it again. Shindou's gonna get mad again.

To his surprise, Shindou didn't look offended or anything. He looked back and forth between Touya and Yongha. His lip quirked with amusement, his green eyes widened and sparkled like a character from a Shoujo manga. "I should have known that you would take his side," he shook his head and let out a sigh of mock desperation. "I know how lovey-dovely you guys are, but seriously, you two shouldn't mix business with private life and gang up on me like this."

As if there was an invisible force hitting him on the head, Yongha lost his balance and almost fell from a chair. It was a good thing he didn't though. If he did, the Prince of Baduk didn't think he could survive through the embarrassment he brought upon himself. What?

Oblivious as ever, Shindou turned to Touya. "Don't side with him just because he's your boyfriend. Jesus, Touya, if you keep making a wrong judgment like this, it's gonna ruin my image too. You are my rival after all."

What? Yongha wanted to protest but couldn't. They were in a middle of a conference hall filled with only-god-know-how-many audience (not to mention that there were his fans among them). Obviously, this wasn't the right place or the right time. He didn't have any other choice but to hold his tongue. He signed resignedly and messaged his close eyes. I can't take it anymore. I have to straighten things out.

An hour and a half later, the game ended. Ogata won. The Osaka pro was good but Akira thought it was a bit early for him to challenge his Sempai. He turned to ask Shindou what to do next only to find an empty seat. The teen wasn't there and Ko Yongha was nowhere to be found either. He immediately looked around and saw Shindou being dragged out of the room by someone. He didn't even have to guess, it was Ko Yongha for sure. That sneaky fox! He rose up and hurriedly followed them.

Ko Yongha took the blond to a garden. Two good looking young men in dashing suits stood underneath a large green tree in a rose garden, gazing at each other. The summer wind breezed, carrying the perfume of roses and scattering rose petals on the air. It was a beautiful scene...too beautiful in Akira's opinion.

Unaware of his presence, Ko Yongha declared. "I like you."

It was short and concise but it took a lot of courage for anyone to say it out loud. Yet, Akira felt no respect towards the guy who had just done it. What a sappy man! Not to mention that this is Shindou, the least romantic guy in the world, we are talking about.

"Eh?" was Shindou's reply.

See? Akira took pride in knowing his lifetime rival the best. Instead of recreating "tokimeki" scenario, you should have confessed him in a ramen restaurant.

"I like you," Ko Yongha repeated with a warm smile.

"But, but," Shindou stuttered, "but I thought you like Touya!"

"I've never liked him," Ko Yongha stated with a firm tone of voices. "I've always liked you."

"But Touya-"

"never liked him either," Akira decided to step into this soap-opera scene.

Turning around, Shindou exclaimed. "Touya!" Ko Yongha merely glanced at him from a corner of his eyes before turning his attention to the blond again. "How long have you been here?" Shindou asked.

"Long enough," Akira replied, "Shindou, listen to me and listen carefully," he spoke in the tone he used with his student, "I don't like him. He doesn't like me. We don't like each other."

"You guys don't?" Shindou asked dumbly.

"No," Ko Yongha and he chorused.

"But I thought you two are together," Shindou said weakly.

"We aren't," said the Korean.

Poor Shindou, he looks so confused. I hope that it won't affect his game when we go back to Tokyo tomorrow.

"You guys aren't?" Shindou asked.

"We aren't." Akira confirmed. "And, Shindou,"

"Yes?" Shindou responded numbly. It seemed that the truth was too much for him to digest at once.

But it needs to be done. Akira took a long breathe in and spoke out, "I like you."

It was short and concise but it took a lot of courage for anyone to say it. Akira thought he deserved the utmost respect and admiration for his bravery.

"Excuse me?" Yongha's expression however showed everything but respect and admiration, "This is my love confession." Spotlight-stealing thief! This is my moment.

"And your point is?" Akira was completely nonchalant.

"Then could you please go away and confess to him later?" Yongha, despite his anger, managed to look cool. His voice was strangely polite like a sweet poison.

Akira shrugged, "Well, it's a bit too late now, don't you think? Since I have said it already, why don't you let me join your little drama here?"

Yongha glared at him. "Although I'm not against a threesome, I would rather die to do it with you."

"You!"

Before the fight could get more intense (and uglier), Shindou's weak voice broke in, "You like me too, Touya?"

"Yes,"

Shindou then turned to Yongha, "And you too?"

"Yes,"

"Okay," Shindou took a deep breath, "Just," he struggled for words, "just give me a minute...I-I need some time," he spoke softly and slowly as if he was in a trance, "to think."

Yongha and Touya nodded understandingly. To be told that his two friends; who were guys and were supposed to be dating each other, were actually in love with him could be a shock of a lifetime. It was natural that Shindou wanted a moment to pull himself together.

Ten minutes passed, yet, Shindou uttered nothing. Looking at his unfocused eyes, Yongha doubted whether his crush had really spent those 10 minutes to reorganize his thoughts or he had been suffering from a brain death for the past 10 minutes without him noticing it. He gently tabbed his shoulder. "Shindou," he called.

"Huh?" Shindou blinked as if just waking up from a dream. "Oh, Right!" He messaged the neck. "You don't like each other but like me instead," he whispered to himself, "Well, at least I got it right that you guys are gay." He immediately snapped his head and added, "Not that I mind though!"

"And?" Yongha questioned.

"Huh?"

"Your answer," Touya pressed.

"Right! My answer," Still messaging the neck, Shindou looked down to the ground and sighed. "I really don't know what to say in this kind of situation. I've never been confessed by two people at the same time before. Heck! No one has ever been confessed to me before!"

"Shindou," Yongha and Touya called.

"I know! I know!" Shindou sounded desperate. "I ought to give you an answer, right?" He looked at the two of them and breathed a heavy sigh again. "You know this is really awkward." He inhaled lungful of air, bowed his head and shouted, "I'm sorry! I'm terribly sorry!"

"Sorry?" Even Yongha himself thought that he sounded so weak.

"I'm sorry! I don't like you!" He then quickly corrected himself, " I mean, I do like you two. You-you may look annoyingly arrogant but you aren't such bad guys. Actually you are kinda good. You guys are my good friends and great Go players too! I respect you and like you very very much but-but not in that way!"

While Yongha was trying to deal with the fact that he; Ko Yongha, the Prince of Baduk, was rejected by a guy, Touya recovered first, "Why?" Touya demanded.

Why? You asked? "Errr…" A part of Hikaru wanted to answer. Yet, another part of him told him not to; his instinct told him that no matter what reason he came up with, the other pro wouldn't take it kindly.

"Shindou, how long have we known each other?" Touya inquired.

"Since twelve," was an automatic answer, "four years."

"That's right." Touya agreed. "Am I not the reason you became a pro? Am I not your rival?"

"You are," 'But Go and love are different!' was left unsaid.

"You always get into trouble," Touya accused. "Am I not the one who help you to take care the mess?"

Hey! Hikaru wanted to said something back but this definitely was not the time for argument. Touya is angry, he isn't himself. Forgive him, Hikaru. Forgive him. "Listen, Touya, you're a good friend, a very good friend, and a very good rival too."

"Then, please tell me why," Touya's eyes narrowed like a hawk. "Is it because I'm a guy?"

"No!" Hikaru moved his hands dramatically. "I've already told you that I'm not anti-gay! It's just…"

"Just what?"

"You are not my type, okay?" He blurted out without thinking. Shit! He quickly covered his mouth with both hands. Shit, shit, shit.

The ex-Maijin's son looked ready to kill him. "I am not your type?"

Dead! "Err," You're so dead, Shindou Hikaru!

"Shindou,"

"Yes?" Don't kill me!

"Are you an idiot?" wasn't quite the respond he had waited for.

"What?" Me? An idiot?

"As I said before, you have this ridiculous habit of messing up even everything go smoothly already," Touya berated. "Although you're doing nothing but simply standing still, problems find their way to find you. You're that kind of guy."

"Hey!"

The black haired pro slapped himself on the chest. "I'm not boasting but I'm intelligent, responsible, good at Go. Plus, being your rival, I know perfectly well know your illogical mind works. Needlessly to say, I'm the most suitable individual for you."

Not boasting, you say. Hikaru knew he shouldn't have had hurt his rival's pride. He tried to hold back his rising irritation by forgetting that Touya had just called him as the one with illogical mind and be diplomatic."Yes, you are," he played along. "Sorry."

"What is your type then?" Yongha joined the interrogation.

"Yongha?"

"You said I'm not your type, then tell me what traits that your partner must have," the Korean queried with a serious look, his voice was hard and firm.

Hmm, now that he brings it up, I just realize that I've never thought about it before. The blond's lifetime goal was to reach the Hand of God; love wasn't part of the plan. Someone who reminds me of Sai will be nice. He decided. "Someone who loves Go," Like Sai.

"I do!" Touya and Yongha exclaimed.

Hikaru went on, "who are good at Go," Like Sai.

"I am!" Both Princes chorused.

"kind"

"I am!"

"good at heart,"

"I am!"

"always be there for me," Like Sai.

Touya straightened himself and smirked triumphantly at his love rival. "I'm already by your side," he told his crush.

Hikaru swore he saw Yongha looking daggers at the future Meijin for a spilt second before flashing a beautiful smile at him (Hikaru). "Although we're apart, I assure you, whenever you need me, I'll be there." He said gently causing Touya snorted at that.

Hikaru still lost in his trance. "has a cute child-like side," Like Sai.

This time none said a word.

But Sai was mature sometime, wasn't he? Hikaru added, "Mature,"

"I am!" the princes cried out in unison.

Hikaru looked at them, "Well, I guess you're both mature but," he paused for a short moment, trying to find the right words, "you are a little bit too young."

"Young?" Yongha frowned. A bit too young, he said?

"Err, how should I say this? This is so embarrassing," Shindou scratched the back of the head with embarrassment, "you see, the truth is," pink blush flushed on his cheeks, "I kinda like older people." He laughed awkwardly.

"I am older than you," Yongha pointed out.

Shindou replied without missing a beat. "Just one year though."

Touya quickly noticed it. "You like someone who is much older?"

Shindou shrugged. "I guess,"

"Like," Touya swallowed hard, "Isumi-san?"

Shindou raised his eyebrow at that, "Isumi-san? He's like what, five years older than me? Nah." He shook his head. "A little bit older would be nice." He tilted his head to the side and added, "Like ten years?"

What? "Shindou, you- "

"Here you are," Before Yongha could finish the sentence, Ogata came to join the scene. "The closing ceremony is about to begin. There're people I want you to meet." He snatched the blond's hand.

"Whaa-" Suddenly losing his balance, Shindou exclaimed.

"Ogata-san! Wait!" Touya cried out.

"Don't worry, Akira" Ogata put his arm around Shindou's shoulder. "I will take good care of him." He said it with a wink before dragging the boy into the hotel.

Yongha had been confessed to many times. This time, however, was the first time that he had ever confessed his feeling to someone but…

It just ended like that….

His first declaration of love….

Ended just like that….

"You will be eighteen next year," Touya muttered.

"Yes," Yongha whispered. Next Hokuto Cup will be my last.

"Will you come back?" the other boy asked.

Should I be back? Yongha wondered. He gazed at the entrance where his first love (whom had been abducted by another man) had entered into. "Honestly," he sighed,"I don't know." He smiled tiredly at his companion, "I really don't know, Touya."

Ogata's body was shaking as he tried his best not to burst out laughing. When he had noticed that neither Akira, Shindou and Ko Yongha was at the closing ceremony, he had intended to reprimand those boys when he found them. He hadn't expected to (over) heard them talking. Oh, what a turn of events! This is getting more and more interesting! He chuckled. Seriously, I think I'll never get tired of him!

Upon seeing him acting out of character, Shindou was worried. "Ogata-sensei, are you alright?"

With his arm still hanging over his shoulder, he looked at Shindou and thought back about what the blond had said less than 5 minutes ago.

"Someone who loves Go," Shindou had said.

I love Go.

"who are good at Go,"

I am the Judan. Of course, I am good.

"kind,"

I can be kind…If I want to.

"good at heart,"

Well, at least I'm not evil.

"always be there for me,"

I can try.

"A little bit older would be nice…like ten years."

The Judan looked into the boy's large green, studied his beautiful face, his eyes rested at his soft pink lips. The flashbacks of the boy taking care of him for the past 2 days run into his mind. "Don't worry, Shindou," he answered. He slid his arm down from Shindou's shoulder to his waist and rested it there. "I'm perfectly fine."

........

........

........

A month later, there was a thread, posted by an anonymous, in the Net-Go's forum saying that Touya Akira and Ko Yongha were a couple.

Fin.

Word: 8952

A/N: It ends! Yes, it ends like this! I'll leave the rest to your imagination then! PS, you maybe wanna read "Finding Seiji" again after reading this fic! I'm evil, I know