It so happened that my brain caught up with this. The result being a much, much slower writing progress. In spite of the slow-down there are some good points: I can actually catch my breath, I know where the goal is and the story doesn't interrupt 'much' with my daily life. :)

To all of you who have reviewed, favoured or alerted this story: thank you.
I feel a little bad for making people wait but it can't really be helped. I will never be able to promise any regularity in the regard of updates.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hikaru no Go.

Suspicion and lies

Hikaru was having a bad day he decided then he went to bed on a rumbling stomach.

No, cut that. The whole week had been bad. All thanks to Kaga. Hikaru certainly wasn't cut out for secret-keeping. He reconsidered if the pool would have been any better but decided against it once again. He wouldn't have been able to play those three games of Go then. As soon as the thought was out he scolded himself heavily. He was just as bad as Sai. What a hypocrite.

Hikaru looked at his newly acquired book. It wasn't Kaga's fault. He could have just stayed away from the Go-stand. Which made him wonder…why had he not?

Certainly, a month ago he wouldn't even have been tempted to go near the place in broad daylight. What had changed? – And that game in the Go-salon? And that Children's tournament? – And…and…the wickedly grinning face of his grandfather was suddenly very clear in his mind…that game.

There was the problem. His grandfather had made him admit it and now he couldn't stop thinking about Go even then he wasn't supposed to!

He ground his teeth in annoyance. That did it! It wasn't a bad week. It was a bad month! Luckily it would be over soon and he could get his allowance back and start spending a little again. Without his consent his mind started calculating how many Go-salons he could enter for a month's worth of allowance. He grumbled at himself and turned a page in the book.

He was almost halfway through the first reading.

With a couple of days to spare before his school-start in Haze junior high Hikaru pocketed a 500 yen coin from his newly received allowance and grinned delighted.
He bolted out the door without paying any regard to a surprised shouting Sai just coming home. He simply couldn't contain himself any longer. He had money and knew just the way to put them to the best of use.

Hikaru wasn't thinking. Surely if he had been he wouldn't have found himself bursting through the doors of the only Go-salon he had ever visited. His entry made every head in the vicinity look up and he stopped short, startled into reality.

He hesitated and then decided to go the rest of the way to the counter, fishing for the coin. He planted it confidentially down and grinned to the woman unable to keep his smile of victory from showing. She smiled back at him. "Nice to see you again. It's been a while." He nodded and wrote his name down, already scanning the closer tables for opponents.

He hadn't played since the disaster at the school-tournament and his fingers were itching to touch the Go-stones again. In that particular moment he couldn't for the life of him figure out how he had managed so far.

He didn't see Touya Akira anywhere and was actually happy about that. The boy's sudden appearance at the tournament had caught him completely off guard and he could easily do without the scrutiny of his intense stare for a while longer. He didn't understand the boy, couldn't see how one chance game against him and another game with a completely different boy could make him demand for a game more.

It wasn't like he had done anything special. He had played and won his three games and enjoyed himself while doing so. He had enjoyed himself so much that he had forgotten he wasn't supposed to be there and had been recognized, thereby getting them all disqualified. To top it off Touya had approached him afterwards asking for a game. Kaga had been furious at that. Hikaru hadn't been in the mood and had gladly let Kaga hustle them out of there.

Hikaru looked around and went for a random line of tables. He knew he shouldn't have come. He should have found another Go-salon instead but now it couldn't be helped.

One of the old men spotted him and sent him a chilling grin, beckoning him over with a wave of a hand. Hikaru neared only tentatively. The man looked kind of mean. "So you're the kid who played Akira-sensei? Care for a game with one more suited to your level?"

Sensei? More suited? In Hikaru's opinion he had played Touya Akira just fine…oh well, he definitely wasn't one to turn down a game. Not even if it was against a slightly scary old geezer. Hikaru managed a timid smile and sat down facing the man. The old man took a drag of his cigarette and grinned again. "The name is Kitajima."

"Shindou Hikaru. Onegaishimasu." Hikaru bowed his head as custom.

"Onegaishimasu."

It wasn't long before Hikaru felt frustration build. The old man took his time and played poor hands, - very poor hands. Hikaru had never played anyone quite like it. Admittedly, Hikaru hadn't played much until now but the kids at the school-tournament had been better than this!

Hikaru refrained from voicing his displeasure however and started making up ways to make the game more fun. Soon he had lured the old man into several battles all thorough the board and with an effort dragged and pulled him to midgame without yet getting a resignation. Hikaru had trouble keeping a satisfied smile from his face as the man once again put the stone just where he had intended.

"That's quite a game you got going there." Hikaru twirled his head around to meet the friendly eyes of a man many years younger than the other men at this place. He paled. There was something in those eyes that told him this was a Pro, an eagerness towards Go reminding of Sai's. Hikaru promptly turned his head back to the game.

"Yes, I am feeling lucky today, Ashiwara-sensei." the old man boasted happily.

The young man laughed good-naturedly. "Are you quite sure of that? To me it seems this young man has you figured out quite well."

Hikaru found himself under a considering gaze from the old man, then the gaze returned to the board with a thoughtful gleam. "I have played well…" the old man said a little apprehensiveness showing "…seen places to go I usually don't. – This isn't a teaching game!" he exclaimed and stared at Hikaru with something akin to angry defiance.

Hikaru frowned confused "I don't know how to play teaching games. I only spiced the game up a bit to make it more fun." He tried to rectify.

The old man spluttered somewhat incoherently and the young man laughed again.

That afternoon Hikaru played several games with the other costumers, the regulars, the young Pro Ashiwara called them. Ashiwara, as one of the students of the Meijin, came by often to play teaching games with them.

Hikaru pretended he didn't know anything about the professional world of Go and just took advantage of the chance to play. When he heard mention of the young Touya showing up within an hour Hikaru told them goodbye and left.

Hikaru reconnoitred the house with nerves on high alert.

He checked to find the kitchen completely abandoned, a note on the table telling him where his lunch stood easy to get in the refrigerator. The mother was visiting some friends and wouldn't be home before it was time to make dinner.

He didn't have to check for the father. He was as usually working. No surprise there, even if it was an early Saturday.

And Sai…Hikaru went to Sai's room, careful in stepping over the boundary that was the doorstep. Sai was away. Something about a weekend-long something with Go. No surprise there either. Sai could disappear for weeks on end if it was about Go.

Hikaru had half a day to himself and even though he would have usually went to a friend's place or maybe Akari's he had other plans. His hands were itching again. With him to the room he had brought one of Sai's Kifu and his new book. He wanted to see if some of this stuff made easier sense on a board.

Hikaru turned on the lights and looked around in something akin to awe.

The room was slightly dark and reminded Hikaru of a library with the big dark-wooded bookcases along most of the walls, bookcases crammed with books and papers on Go and probably Kifus too. On the desk in the corner lay a neat pile of papers and just between the made bed and the desk stood what he had come for, a Goban with two bowls on top. Nothing was out of place or the least bit untidy.

Hikaru closed the door behind him and treaded softly over the floor; he didn't dare make any sudden noise, and slid the Goban out from its place, feeling awkward and a little like a thief. There was a Goban in the living room too but Hikaru was afraid of getting caught in the act and up here he could mostly pretend to be coming from his own room, when someone came in the front door.

He sighed from the uneasiness and then sat himself in front of the board cross-legged and placed the two bowls within easy reach. He looked between the Kifu and the book, chose the Kifu and began placing stones in the correct order.

As the stones filled the board he felt himself relax and soon forgot everything else.

Hikaru pushed the Goban back in place and rose to his feet. He had succeeded in his quest without getting disturbed and felt quite proud about it but was also nervous and alert. It couldn't be long before his mother would be home. Something though kept him from leaving immediately.

He looked around, eyes skimming over the books and the papers. Curiously he fingered at the papers on the desk and unconsciously sat down in the chair.

It was Kifus. A lot of them. Some he had never seen in the magazines before, many of them written in Sai's hand but also some obvious copies of others. He felt an almost burning desire to go through them all, the way he had just played one on the Goban. The knowledge that he couldn't, hurt.

He searched the drawers for pencils and blank paper with a vague idea of copying just the first in the pile.

As the top drawer opened he gasped in surprise. What the drawer revealed was a foldable board and a closed bag which he just knew contained stones of both colours. He reached for it without thinking. This was his from a long time ago. His very own Goban even if it was a child's version and cheap and easy to break. It had been his and it still was he knew. Another survivor of the massacre, even though he didn't know how it had ended up in Sai's room.

He took it up and unfolded it on the tabletop to see how it looked. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. It looked just like he remembered, fairly new and practically unused, only a little chip in it from the one time he had dropped it on the floor. He folded it again and searched the rest of the drawers.

That evening he celebrated his finds by playing the copied Kifu out on the foldable board in his own room before going to bed.

His mother had never noticed where he had actually been when she got home and she only asked if he had handled himself well being home alone, to which he could truthfully say yes. His father came home early as it was Saturday and they had dinner together. All in all a very normal day.

After playing the game out Hikaru put the Kifu away in the box under the bed and hid the board and stones along with his two books behind the mangas. It was starting to get a bit crammed in there but it didn't show yet. Hikaru got under the covers and fell asleep. Never once did it occur to him that Sai might notice the absence of the board when he returned.

Hikaru was eating ramen and thinking, or rather devouring ramen and pondering the difficulty of finding more members to Haze's new Go-club.

Akari had joined, practically forcing her way in and Hikaru only settled with it at her promise never to talk about it outside of school. Hikaru still felt uneasy showing his interest in Go that openly and therefore prowled the school grounds in search of members before entering the science room half an hour late. Usually by then Akari and Tsutsui had engrossed themselves at the only Goban, Tsutsui teaching Akari the basics.

So far his search had proved fruitless. The girl from the volleyball-club had somehow gotten offended but Hikaru didn't dwell on it too long. She wasn't exactly a boy and it was a boy they needed to enter the school-tournament again. Hikaru would prefer it if they didn't get disqualified this time.

Then there was the new poster and the solved problem and that boy Akari had mentioned…Hikaru wondered if the boy had a reason too for not coming forth.

A word from outside Hikaru's enveloped mind tickled his ears and made him return to the outside world.

Had someone just mentioned a Go-salon? He didn't even realise he had asked until he got an answer.

Hikaru counted his money. It had been more than a week since last time, almost two. He had estimated his allowance to just barely reach to one visit to a Go-salon a week but he had used some on this delicious ramen. One, two, three and…two more in his other pocket. Hikaru released his breath. Five 100 yen coins.

Hikaru jumped up and followed the directions he had been given, never letting himself hesitate at the slightly scary entrance. Now he just had to hope for the price for children to be the same.

"Mitani!" Hikaru called out, eager yet a bit hesitant.

Mitani, who was the boy Akari had mentioned. Mitani, who played Go. Mitani, who apparently was strong. Mitani, who had cheated… Hikaru didn't know how he felt about that. Sai would have been outraged.

"What do you want?" The boy with bright orange hair and a slightly alternated school-uniform worn with quiet cool both looked and sounded annoyed.

Hikaru decided to ignore it and just throw himself at it. "You are strong, right? You should join our Go-club."

"Don't wanna." The rejection came fast and unfazed.

Hikaru huffed in indignation and frustration. "What? You would rather play for money against old geezers and cheat? Not even deserve the win?"

The glare Hikaru got for his outburst could almost match Kaga's but only almost. "I need the money." Mitani had turned away rather quickly, putting his shoes on shelf.

Hikaru hesitated. "How 'need'?"

Mitani shrugged his shoulders "I got stuff I'd like to buy." echoed words Hikaru faintly remembered having heard before.

Hikaru grinned "What's the need if you can play Go for free?" He clutched at Mitani's wrist and started dragging him off. "Just try it. It'll be fun! And we need you for the tournament." he exclaimed, completely deaf to the loud protests erupting behind him.

As they burst into the room sliding the door open with a big rattle Akari and Tsutsui looked up in startled surprise.

"I found our third player!"

Hikaru let neither Tsutsui nor Akari respond. They looked hesitant enough as it was, Akari already preparing to ask the disgruntled Mitani one thing or another. He dragged Mitani in front of their Goban and pushed him down in the seat. "Now, play me! You left before I got a chance yesterday." Hikaru said. Cutting through any chance at resistance he shot a Goke to Mitani and ordered: "Nigiri."

Still, Mitani wasn't a pushover. "What do I get for winning?"

Hikaru grinned and met Mitani's indifferent looking gaze. "If you win…" he emphasised the 'if' with great effort "…I won't bother you again."

Mitani narrowed his eyes and responded by digging into the stones in the bowl. Hikaru felt very gleeful as they decided colours. He was certain Mitani was stronger than Tsutsui and he had to admit he missed playing a strong player his own age.

Hikaru only saw the stones on the board. Nothing else existed, – and that was probably what saved him from Mitani's attempt at disqualifying him before they had barely gotten started. Hikaru waited for stones and played and the game progressed like it should, without any further cheating being involved, and as the game neared its end the victor was quite obvious. There was no need for counting territory at all.

Hikaru smiled delightfully and eyed his opponent mischievously. "Welcome to the club."

Mitani flinched and sneered in defiance but didn't say anything. Instead he prepared to leave but Akari interrupted cheerfully, asking for a teaching game. Hikaru knew from experience Akari was nearly impossible to turn down but right now didn't feel for pitying the orange-haired. He was still basking in the glory of getting a new member for the club.

Tsutsui took him a little to the side, eyeing their new member suspiciously. "He tried to cheat, Hikaru!"

Hikaru shrugged. He hadn't noticed any attempts and the game had been fair, he knew. He couldn't see a problem.

"You knew he was a cheater?" Tsutsui inquired further.

"I saw him yesterday in a Go-salon." Hikaru shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He won't do it again. Right, Mitani!"

Mitani looked up at Hikaru's boisterous voice and shrugged indifferently. "You'll never know." he answered with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

Tsutsui didn't look at all convinced but Hikaru laughed. "Why should you? That would just be boring."

Then Hikaru showed up at the club the next day, Mitani was there demanding for a rematch.

Sai found himself in Hikaru's room on a whim.

Hikaru wasn't home yet so he was literally intruding and wasn't the least bit proud of himself for pulling a stunt like that. He tried to excuse it by reminding himself that Hikaru must have been in his room too but it wasn't working. Mainly his mind just couldn't believe the fact. Hikaru had shied away from his room since forever.

It couldn't be anyone else though. Only Hikaru wouldn't think twice about taking something originally his. The parents had certainly always respected the private life of their children.

So Sai was standing in the middle of Hikaru's room trying to figure out where his little brother would most likely put a foldable Go-board.

It was only to put his mind at ease, check if his suspicion was right. He wouldn't do or think anything else about it, he told himself firmly.

He gazed around, noting the slight mess from outspread papers on the desk to a couple of mangas beside the bed. It wasn't bad actually, he conceded, only not nearly as tight as his own room.

He had looked in the drawers already and it had turned up absolutely nothing. His eyes roamed the titles on the bookcase but it wasn't like it had room for much else. He turned to the bed. Really, the room didn't hold many hiding places.

Maybe Hikaru had just taken it back as an old toy and kept it in his toy box. Sai crouched down and peered in at the box beneath the bed. He really wanted to know, if for nothing else his peace of mind, but could he look without disturbing something and revealing his presence?

Sai didn't get any further in his musings. Feet trampled on the stairs and Sai shot up in panic.

The door burst open and Sai paled as Hikaru stood frozen in the doorway. He gaped. Sai stared. He desperately tried to think of a plausible excuse for being there.

"Sorry," he mumbled before Hikaru could find his voice "I was…looking for something…I don't know why I thought it would be in here…" It occurred to Sai that he was a terrible liar.

Hikaru still seemed to have forgotten how to speak and his flustered face from his exercise was turning awfully white. He looked more nervous than angry and Sai reasoned that maybe he was right and Hikaru had taken the board.

He nodded lightly to the boy. "I'm sorry for intruding" he said for good measure as Hikaru let him pass.

Hikaru only nodded in return, fidgeting with his schoolbag and never meeting his eyes.

'We are both terrible liars' Sai thought half-mortified as he escaped down the stairs.

Author's note: I did have one extra part in mind but figured it might as well go together with the next chapter.
Mitani was worse to write than Kaga. Mostly because I didn't know what to do with the cheating.
Oh, and even though I have read and seen 'Hikaru no Go' several times I have never played the game and don't understand the mechanics behind it too well, so for those who do I apologize if any games seem...weird. My main interest lies within characters and story.